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Monument   to   General   James  Edward   Oglethorpe 
Unveiled  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  Nov.  23,  1  9i0 


COLLECTIONS 

OF  THE 


Georgia  Historical  Society 


VOL.  VII.        PART  II. 


A  History  of  the  Erection  and 
Dedication  of  the  Monument 


-TO 


Gen'l  James  Edward  Oglethorpe 


Unveiled  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  November  23,  1910» 


Published  by  the  Georgia  Historical  Society. 


Savannah,  Ga. 

The  Morning  News 

1911. 


INTRODUaiON. 


In  order  to  preserve  and  perpetuate  in  collected  form  the  his- 
tory of  the  monument  to  the  memory  of  General  James  Edward 
Oglethorpe  which  was  unveiled  and  dedicated  with  appropriate 
ceremonies  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  November  23,  1910,  the  Georgia  His- 
torical Society  publishes  this  volume  as  a  contribution  to  the  his- 
tory of  our  State. 

The  monument  itself  is  but  the  concrete  expression  of  a  sen- 
timent which  for  nearly  two  centuries  has  lived  in  the  hearts  of 
Georgians,  and  the  fact  that  the  work  has  been  so  long  delayed, 
was  only  due  to  a  desire  to  erect  a  memorial  whose  proportions 
and  finish  should  be  in  keeping  with  the  dignity  and  character 
of  the  heroic  founder  of  Georgia. 

The  following  pages  set  forth  such  facts  concerning  the  monu- 
ment itself  and  such  features  connected  with  its  dedication  as 
will  be  of  interest  to  the  historian  of  the  future.  It  was  deemed 
appropriate  by  those  having  the  matter  in  charge  to  set  apart 
three  days,  November  23,  24  and  25,  for  the  celebration  of  the 
occasion,  and  inasmuch  as  Oglethorpe  was  essentially  a  soldier, 
it  was  decided  to  have  the  exercises  chiefly  of  a  military  charac- 
ter. A  number  of  pictorial  illustrations  have  been  included,  which 
it  is  hoped,  will  serve  to  perpetuate  in  visible  form  some  of  the 
leading  features  of  this  historic  occasion. 

OTIS  ASHMORE, 
GEORGE  J.  BALDWIN, 
W.  W.  GORDON,  JR., 
Committee  on  Publishing  and  Printing. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  MOVEMENT. 


On  the  18th  day  of  May,  1901,  a  charter  was  granted  by 
the  Superior  Court  of  Chatham  County  to  the  Oglethorpe 
Monument  Association.  This  Association  was  formed  by 
six  representatives  each  from  the  Georgia  Society  of  Colonial 
Dames  of  America,  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  the  Daught- 
ers of  the  American  Revolution,  and  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars.  Its  first  meeting  was  held  on  Nov.  28,  1902,  and  the 
object  of  the  Association  was  to  combine  the  efforts  of  these 
four  patriotic  societies  toward  the  raising  of  funds  for  the 
erection  of  a  suitable  memorial  in  Savannah  to  the  memory 
of  the  truly  great  man  who  was  the  founder  of  our  State. 

Tlie  moneys  which  some  of  the  various  societies  had  been 
raising  separately,  were  turned  into  the  common  treasury 
of  the  Association,  and  increased  in  like  manner  from  time 
to  time  until  they  amounted,  in  the  year  1905,  to  approxi- 
mately $5,000. 

In  the  summer  of  that  year,  at  the  request  of  the  president 
of  the  Colonial  Dames,  the  representatives  from  Chatham 
County  in  the  Legislature  took  up  the  matter  of  securing 
State  recognition  and  aid  for  the  monument,  and  on  July 
12,  1905,  a  joint  resolution  was  introduced  in  the  House  to 
provide  for  the  erection  of  a  monument.  This  resolution 
was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Appropriations  and  hav- 
ing been  more  than  once  voted  down  in  the  committee,  was 
finally  reported  back  favorably  on  August  10,  1905,  with  the 
recommendation  that  the  sum  of  $15,000  be  appropriated 
for  the  purpose,  and  the  resolution  received  its  second 
reading.  Nothing  further  was  done  in  regard  to  it  at  that 
session. 

During  the  next  session,  in  the  summer  of  1906,  the  reso- 
lution met  with  a  stormy  and  checkered  career  and  was 
several  times  apparently  hopelessly  shipwrecked  before 
gaining  its  final  passage. 

Under  resolution  introduced  in  the  House  June  27,  1906, 
Honorable  Walter  G.  Charlton  was  invited  to  address  a 
joint  session  of  the  General  Assembly  on  the  life  and  ser- 
vices of  General  Oglethorpe,  and  this  address  was  delivered 
a  short  time  afterw^ard. 

On  August  2,  1906,  the  bill  carrying  the  appropriation  of 
$15,000  for  the  monument  came  up  for  passage.     It  was 


6         A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

referred  to  the  Committee  of  the  Whole,  where  it  was  only 
saved  from  defeat  by  the  adoption  of  an  amendment  offered 
by  its  friends,  providing  that  the  monument  should  be 
erected  in  Chippewa  Square  and  reciting  that  the  title  to 
said  square  was  in  the  State  of  Georgia.  The  committee 
then  reported  the  bill  back  favorably  as  amended. 

The  report  of  tke  committee  was  agreed  to,  but  on  the 
passage  of  the  bill  by  aye  and  nay  vote  it  was  apparent 
that  it  could  not  pass,  and  "before  the  vote  could  be  an- 
nounced the  bill  was  tabled  on  motion  of  Mr.  Anderson  of 
Chatham." 

On  Saturday,  August  11th,  the  bill  was,  on  motion,  taken 
from  the  table  for  the  purpose  of  declaring  the  vote  there- 
on, which  was  announced  to  be  ayes  70,  nays  51,  and  the  bill 
having  failed  to  receive  the  requisite  constitutional  majority 
was  declared  to  be  lost.  On  motion  the  action  of  the  House 
in  defeating  the  bill  was  then  re-considered. 

A  resolution  was  immediately  introduced  and  referred  to 
the  Rules  Committee  to  make  the  bill  a  Special  Order  for 
August  13th. 

On  the  morning  of  August  13th,  the  last  day  when  the 
bill  could  be  considered  by  the  House,  the  Rules  Committee 
submitted  a  report  making  the  bill  a  Special  Order  for  that 
day.     This  was  voted  down  by  the  House. 

At  the  afternoon  session  of  August  13th,  on  motion  of 
Mr.  Flynt  of  Spalding,  by  yea  and  nay  vote  of  83  to  25 
the  House  re-considered  its  action  of  the  morning  in  refus- 
ing to  make  a  Special  Order,  and  adopted  the  Rules  Com- 
mittee's report.  The  bill  was  then  taken  up  for  passage, 
and  a  substitute  bill  offered  by  the  Chatham  delegation  was 
passed  by  a  vote  of  91  to  35. 

The  bill  was  immediately  transmitted  to  the  Senate  and 
received  its  first  reading  there  the  same  afternoon.  The 
next  morning,  August  14th,  it  was  reported  favorably  by 
the  Senate  Committee  on  Appropriations  and  received  its 
second  reading,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  August  15th,  the 
last  day  of  the  Legislative  session  of  1906,  was  placed  on 
its  passage  and  finally  enacted  into  law. 

It  was  approved  by  Governor  Terrell  on  August  16th, 
1906,  and  the  following  Commission  was  appointed  by  him 
to  take  charge  of  the  work  in  the  name  of  the  State  and 
carry  it  on  to  completion : 

Hon.  J.  Randolph  Anderson,  Chairman, 
Hon.  P.  A.  Stovall, 
Hon.  A.  A.  Lawrence. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe. 


Hon,  Walter  G.  Charlton, 
Hon.  P.  W.  Meldrim, 
Hon.  J.  H.  Estill, 
Col.  A.  R.  Lawton, 

All  of  Savannah; 
Hon.  R.  E.  Park, 
Hon.  Allen  D.  Candler, 
Hon.  W.  G.  Cooper, 

All  of  Atlanta ; 
Hon.  Joseph  R.  Lamar,  of  Augusta, 
Hon.  H.  F.  Dunwoody,  of  Brunswick. 
Hon.  J.  H.  Estill  died  during  the  administration  of  Gov. 
Hoke  Smith,  who  appointed  Hon.  R.  J.  Davant  of  Savannah 
in  his  place.     Hons.  R.  E.  Park  and  Allen  D.  Candler  also 
died,  and  Gov.  Joseph  M.  Brown  appointed  as  their  suc- 
seccors  Wymberley  J,  De  Renne  and  J.  Florance  Minis, 
both  of  Savannah. 

The  Act  as  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  1906  read  as 

follows : 

«?^ 

Whereas,  the  State  of  Georgia  contains  no  fitting  memorial  to 
its  founder  and  first  Governor,  that  great  soldier,  statesman  and 
philanthropist,   General  James   Oglethorpe;   and, 

2nd.  Whereas,  it  is  now  verging  on  two  centuries  since  he 
founded  and  fostered  this  people,  protected  and  defended  them 
from  dissension  within,  and  invasion  without,  and  fitted  Georgia 
for  its  great  career  as  a  sovereign  State,  and 

3rd.  Whereas,  It  is  eminently  fitting  and  desirable  that  the 
people  of  this  State  shall  make  manifest  their  veneration,  loyalty 
and  gratitude  for  the  life  and  services  of  that  great  man  by  the 
erection  of  a  proper  memorial  or  monument  to  the  memory  of 
its  distinguished  founder,  in  the  city  in  which  he  first  established 
the  youngest  of  the  American  colonies,  and  which  thus  became 
the  cradle  of  Georgia;  and, 

4th.  Whereas,  The  Oglethorpe  Monument  Association,  com- 
posed of  members  of  the  various  patriotic  societies  in  this  State, 
has  been  incorporated  for  this  purpose  and  has  raised  by  popular 
subscription  a  considerable  sum,  therefore; 

5th.  Be  it  resolved  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  Sen- 
ate  concurring.  That  the  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  ($15,000) 
be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  set  aside  and  appropriated  from 
money  in  the  treasury,  not  otherwise  appropriated,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  an  adequate  memorial,  or  monument,  to  General 
James  Oglethorpe  in  the  city  of  Savannah;  the  said  memorial  or 
monument,  to  be  erected  in  Chippewa  Square  in  said  City,  the  ti- 
tle to  said  square  being  owned  by  the  State.  The  amount  hereby 
appropriated,  the  sum  of  seventy-five  hundred  dollars  shall  be 
available  in  the  year  1907^  and  the  sum  of  seventy-five  hundred 
dollars  shall  be  available  in  the  year  1908.  This  appropriation 
shall  be  expended  by  and  under  the  direction,  supervision  and 
control  of  the   Governor   of  the   State,  and  upon   warrants  drawn 


8         A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

by  him  upon  the  Treasury  accordingly.  The  Governor  of  the 
State  is  hereby  authorized  to  permit  the  Oglethorpe  Monument 
Association  to  be  associated  in  the  work  herein  provided  for,  and 
to  augment  this  appropriation  by  such  additional  amount  as  said 
Oglethorpe  Monument  Association  maj'  desire  to  contribute;  pro- 
vided that  the  same  shall  be  not  less  than  $5,000  and  that  said 
memorial  or  monument,  shall  have  upon  it,  either  inscribed  or 
raised,  or  by  tablet,  the  words: 

"Erected  by  the  State  of  Georgia  to  the  memory  of  its  founder, 
the  great  soldier,  eminent  statesman  and  celebrated  philanthro- 
pist, General  James  Oglethorpe,  who  in  this  City  on  the  12th  day 
of   February  A.   D.   1733,  established  the   Colony  of  Georgia." 

Resolved  further,  by  the  authority  aforesaid.  That  all  laws  and 
parts  of  laws  in  conflict  with  this  resolution  be,  and  the  same  are 
hereby  repealed.     Approved  August  20th,  1906. 

This  Act  was  amended  by  a  later  Act  approved  July  20th, 
1909.  This  amending  Act  changed  the  wording  of  the  in- 
scription to  be  placed  on  the  monument  and  provided  that 
it  should  read  as  follows : 

"Erected  by  the  State  of  Georgia,  the  City  of  Savannah  and  the 
patriotic  societies  of  the  State  to  the  memory  of  the  great  sol- 
dier, eminent  statesman  and  famous  philanthropist.  General  James 
Edward  Oglethorpe,  who  in  this  City  on  the  12th  daj^  of  February 
A.  D.  1733  founded  and  established  the  Colony  of  Georgia." 

This  amending  Act  also  provided  for  the  celebration  of 
the  unveiling  of  the  monument  as  follows : 

Be  it  further  resolved,  T^hat  the  Governor  of  this  State  be  and 
he  is  hereby  requested  to  cause  the  attendance  of  the  military 
forces  of  this  State  to  participate  in  the  ceremonies  attending  the 
unveiling  of  said  monument  when  the  same  shall  take  place,  and 
to  invite  the  attendance  and  participation  of  the  Executive  and 
military  forces  of  our  neighboring  sister  States;  the  States  of 
South  Carolina  and  Florida,  whose  early  history  is  closely  inter- 
woven v.'ith  our  own,  and  between  which  the  Colony  founded  by 
Oglethorpe  was  designed  to  serve  as  a  military  barrier,  and  the 
States  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  whose  domains  formed  a  part 
of  the  original  territory  of  the  Colony  of  Georgia. 

The  Oglethorpe  Monument  Commission  began  its  work 
in  the  autumn  of  1906,  and  after  a  considerable  period  of  in- 
vestigation and  deliberation,  placed  the  execution  of  the 
work  in  the  hands  of  the  celebrated  sculptor,  Mr.  Daniel 
Chester  French,  who  associated  with  him  Mr.  Henry  Bacon, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  architects  of  New  York  City. 

It  became  apparent  to  the  Commission,  from  the  outset, 
that  a  suitable  memorial  could  not  be  obtained  with  the 
funds  then  available,  and  that  the  appropriation  from  the 
State  would  have  to  be  supplemented  from  outside  sources, 
and  it  was  decided  to  rely  upon  such  further  assistance  and 


To  General  Javies  Edxcard  Oglethorpe . 


not  to  attempt  to  confine  the  monument  to  the  funds  then 
in  the  hands  of  the  Commission  and  in  the  treasury  of  the 
Oglethorpe  Monument  Association. 

The  chairman  and  other  members  of  the  Commission  ap- 
peared before  the  City  Council  of  Savannah  on  May  10, 
1909,  and  presented  a  petition  for  an  appropriation  of 
$15,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  suitable  memorial.  This 
was  granted  and  the  City  of  Savannah  appropriated  the  sum 
of  $15,000,  of  which  it  was  provided  that  the  sum  of  $12,000 
should  be  used  by  the  Commission  for  the  erection  of  the 
monument,  and  $3,000  should  be  utilized  in  the  preparation 
of  the  site  and  toward  expenses  of  the  unveiling.  The  funds 
thus  received  v/ere  further  supplemented  by  additional  sub- 
scriptions from  the  various  patriotic  societies  mentioned 
above  and  from  other  organizations  as  well  as  from  indi- 
vidual citizens ;  thus  raising  the  total  amount  in  the  hands 
of  the  Commission,  available  for  the  monument  and  its  sur- 
roundings, up  to  the  sum  of  $38,000,  for  which  amount  the 
contract  had  been  made  by  the  Commission  with  the 
sculptor,  Mr.  French. 


ir33  1910 

OFFICIAL  SOUVENIR 
PROGRAM 


OP  THE 


Ceremonies  at  the  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

ERECTED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe 

SAVANNAH,  GA. 

NOVEMBER  23,  24,  25,  1910. 


ColonlAl  Seal  of  Georgia. 


Present  Seal  of  Georsila. 


JAMES   EDWARD  OGLETHORPE. 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  OGLETHORPE. 


General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe,  son  of  Sir  Theophil- 
us  and  Eleanor  (Wall)  Oglethorpe,  was  born  in  England 
December  22,  1696.  At  an  early  age  he  entered  Corpus 
Christi  College,  Oxford,  but  he  soon  left  that  institution 
for  an  active  military  life.  Having  served  several  years  in 
the  British  army,  under  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  he  be- 
came secretary  and  aid-de-camp  to  the  famous  Prince 
Eugene  of  Savoy,  with  whom  he  learned  the  art  of  war. 

In  1718  he  returned  to  his  estate  in  England,  and  in  1722 
was  elected  to  parliament  from  the  county  of  Surrey.  He 
soon  became  interested  in  the  reformation  of  abuses  which 
disgraced  prison  life  at  that  time,  and  his  sympathies  were 
especially  engaged  for  the  relief  of  the  honest  but  unfortu- 
nate debtors  w^ho  were  thrown  into  prison.  He  was  made 
chairman  of  a  commission  to  investigate  these  abuses,  and 
it  occurred  to  him  that  a  colony  could  be  established  for 
these  people  in  America  between  the  Carolinas  and  the 
troublesome  Spaniards,  Who  claimed  all  the  territory  south 
of  the  Savannah  river.  A  company  was  organized,  a  char- 
ter obtained,  and  Oglethorpe  with  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  passengers  set  sail  for  America  November  17,  1732", 
and  on  February  12,  1733  he  landed  at  the  present  site  of 
Savannah,  where  he  found  a  small  tribe  of  Indians  with 
Tomochichi  as  chief. 

Having  made  friends  with  the  Indians,  he  laid  out  the 
town,  fortified  it,  and  built  many  houses. 

In  1734  Oglethorpe  sailed  for  England,  taking  with  him 
Tomochichi  and  several  other  Indian  chiefs  to  impress  them 
with  England's  power.  In  1736  he  returned  to  Georgia 
and  engaged  in  the  active  work  of  the  colony.  He  laid  out 
Augusta,  made  treaties  of  friendship  with  the  Indians, 
founded  Frederica  and  fortified  it.  In  1740  he  made  a  bold 
attack  upon  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augustine,  but  owing  to 
the  strength  of  the  fort  and  to  sickness  in  his  army  he 
abandoned  the  siege. 

At  the  battle  of  Bloody  Marsh  in  1742,  he  drove  the  Span- 
iards from  Georgia,  and  established  the  English  claim  to 
the  territory. 


12       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

On  July  23,  1743,  ten  and  a  half  years  after  his  first  land- 
ing Oglethorpe  set  sail  for  England,  never  to  return.  In 
1744  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Wright  of  Cranham  Hall. 
After  a  brief  experience  in  the  British  army  in  1745,  he  re- 
tired from  active  service  to  his  estate,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  long  life,  "the  soul  of  honor,  the  embodi- 
ment of  loyalty  and  valor,  and  the  model  of  manly  grace 
and  courtesy."  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years  on 
July  1,  1785,  and  was  buried  in  Cranham  church. 

Fitting  indeed  it  is  that  Georgia  should  perpetuate  in 
enduring  stone  and  bronze  the  virtues  of  her  brave  and  he- 
roic founder,  and  upon  the  pedestal  of  his  monument  in- 
scribe in  imperishable  letters  the  name  of  OGLETHORPE. 

"Thy  great  example  shall  through  ages  shine, 
A  favorite  theme  with  poet  and  divine; 
To  all  unborn  thy  merits  shall  proclaim, 
And  add  new  honors  to  thy  deathless  name." 


m 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MONUMENT. 


The  Oglethorpe  Monument  Association  was  chartered 
by  the  Superior  Court  of  Chatham  County,  May  18,  1901. 
This  Association  was  formed  by  six  representatives  each, 
from  the  Georgia  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars. 
Its  object  was  to  combine  the  efforts  of  these  four  patriotic 
societies  toward  raising  the  funds  for  the  erection  of  a 
suitable  memorial  in  Savannah  to  General  James  Edward 
Oglethorpe,  the  founder  of  the  colony  of  Georgia. 

In  the  summer  of  1905,  the  representatives  from  Chatham 
county  in  the  Legislature  took  up  the  matter  of  securing 
state  recognition  and  aid  for  the  monument,  and  introduced 
a  bill  for  the  appropriation  of  $15,000  for  the  purpose.  Tliis 
appropriation  was  made  by  the  Legislature  in  the  summer 
of  1906,  and  a  commission  was  appointed  by  the  Governor 
to  take  charge  of  the  work  in  the  name  of  the  state. 

The  Commission  consisted  of  Hon.  J.  Randolph  Ander- 
son, chairman,  Hons.  P.  A.  Stovall,  A.  A.  Lawrence,  Walter 
G.  Charlton,  P.  W.  Meldrim,  J.  H.  Estill  and  Col.  A.  R. 
Lawton,  of  Savannah ;  Hons.  R.  E.  Park,  State  Treasurer, 
Allen  D.  Candler  and  W.  G.  Cooper,  all  of  Atlanta;  Hon. 
Jos.  R.  Lamar,  of  Augusta,  and  Hon.  H.  F.  Dunwoody,  of 
Brunswick. 

The  Commission  entrusted  the  execution  of  the  work  to 
the  celebrated  sculptor,  Daniel  Chester  French,  who  asso- 
ciated with  him  Mr.  Henry  Bacon,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent architects  of  New  York  City.  On  May  10,  1909,  the 
City  of  Savannah,  on  the  application  of  the  Commission, 
appropriated  $15,000  to  the  monument,  of  which  it  was  pro- 
vided that  $12,000  should  be  used  for  the  erection  of  the 
monument,  and  $3,000  should  be  utilized  in  the  preparation 
of  the  site  and  towards  the  expenses  of  the  unveiling. 

The  monument  is  now  completed,  and  consists  of  a  he- 
roic statue  of  General  Oglethorpe  in  bronze  in  the  uniform 
of  a  British  General  of  the  period.  The  figure  is  about 
ten  feet  in  height,  and  stands  upon  a  pink-gray  marble  ped- 
estal or  die  upon  a  base  of  the  same  material.     The  base 


X4       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

is  carved  wHh  g-arlands  of  flowers  and  of  pine  cones  resting 
upon  palmetto  leaves,  and  is  cornered  by  four  lions  ram- 
pant, each  holding  a  shield.  Upon  one  of  these  shields  is 
carved  the  Coat  of  Arms  of  Oglethorpe,  and  upon  the  others 
the  Coats  of  Arms  or  Great  Seals  of  the  Colony  of  Georgia, 
of  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  of  the  City  of  Savananh.  The 
general  design  of  the  monument  is  Italian  renaissance,  and 
has  a  stone  bench  on  either  side.  The  northern  and  south- 
ern ends  of  the  plot  in  which  the  monument  stands  are 
closed  by  an  exhedra  in  Indiana  limestone,  backed  by  low 
shrubbery. 


iBrtixi4:<.r  d&>   ^yHSi^  Oder  yCorU^f^^     'f^TL.    o'ti<AtJ:a^   d>onn 


Memorial  Seat  of  Oglethorpe,  Savannah,  Ga, 


Tomochichi  Monument,  Savannah,  Ga. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglelhorpe.  15 

OFFICIAL  PROGRAM. 

WEDNESDAY  MORNING,  11:30  O'CLOCK. 

INVOCATION",  by  Rt.  Rev.  F.  F.  Reese,  Bishop  of  Geor- 
gia. 

ADDRESS,  by  Hon.  J.  Randolph  Anderson,  Chairman 
Oglethorpe  Monument  Commission,  on  the  History  of 
of  the  Monument. 

ADDRESS,  by  Acting  British  Ambassador,  Hon  A.  Mit- 
chell Innes. 

ADDRESS,  by  Hon.  Walter  G.  Charlton,  on  the  Life,  Char- 
acter and  Services  of  Oglethorpe, 

UNVEILING  OF  THE  MONUMENT,  by  His  Excellen- 
cy Joseph  M.  Brown,  Governor  of  Georgia,  assisted  by 
the  President  of  the  Georgia  Society  of  Colonial  Dames 
of  America. 

PARADE  AND  GRAND  REVIEW  OF  TROOPS  in  Park 
Extension  by  the  Governors  of  Georgia,  South  Carolina 
and  Alabama;  Sixteen  Companies  of  U.  S.  Regulars, 
Forty  Companies  of  State  Troops,  Three  Companies  of 
Blue  Jackets,  and  Marines  from  U.  S.  Cruiser  Birming- 
ham. 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON,  3 :00  O'CLOCK. 

(In  Park  Extension.) 

Cavalry  Tilt. 

U.  S.  Regulars  vs.  Georgia  Troops. 

Two  Teams  of  Six  Men,  Eleventh  U.  S.  Cavalry. 

Two  Teams  of  Six  Men,  Georgia  Hussars. 

Two  Teams  of  Six  Men,  Liberty  Independent  Troop. 

One  Team  of  Six  Men,  Governor's  Horse  Guards. 

WEDNESDAY  EVENING,  8:15  O'CLOCK. 

(Athletic  Park.) 

Military  Rough  Riders  Exhibition  and  Spectacular  Exer- 
cises. 

Cavalry  Marching  Drill,  Bareback  Hurdling,  Roman  Rid- 
ing, etc.,  by  selected  troop  of  Eleventh  Cavalry,  U.  S.  A. 

Spectacular  Exhibition  Drill,  Musical  Drills,  by  Seven- 
teenth Infantry,  U.  S.  A. 


j6       a  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

THURSDAY  MORNING,  9:30  O'CLOCK. 

(Grand  Stand  on  Waters  Road.) 

Great  Motorcycle  Races  around    Grand   Prize   Automobile 

Course. 

(Fifty  entries  expected.) 

FIRST  RACE — One  lap  around  the  course.  Open  to  any 
Savannah-owned  Motorcycle,  single  cylinder  type. 
(Twenty-two  entries.)  Starts  on  five  seconds  inter- 
vals.    Prizes,  Three  Silver  Cups. 

SECOND  RACE — Two  laps  around  the  course.  Open  to 
any  amateur  rider  and  any  type  of  Motorcycle.  (Twelve 
entries.)  Flying  start,  all  at  once.  Prizes,  Three 
Copper  Cups. 

THIRD  RACE — Three  laps  around  the  course.  Open  to 
Savannah-owned  machines  of  belt-driven  type,  single 
cylinder.  (Fifty  entries  expected.)  Starts  on  five 
seconds  intervals.     Prizes,  Three  Silver  Cups. 

Grand  Military  Gymkhana. 

Of  U.  S.  Regulars.  High  Jumping,  mounted ;  Equipment 
Race;  Conical  Wall-tent  Pitching;  Hasty  Intrenching;  Po- 
tato Race  by  Mounted  Cavalry;  Wall  Scaling,  and  other 
exciting  military  field  sports  and  exercises. 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON,  3:00  O'CLOCK. 

(Athletic  Park.) 

ANNUAL  FOOTBALL  GAME- 
UNIVERSITY  OF  GEORGIA  vs.  AUBURN. 

THURSDAY  EVENING,  8:15  O'CLOCK. 
Same  as  on  Wednesday  evening. 

FRIDAY  MORNING,  10:00  O'CLOCK. 

(Park  Extension.) 

BATTLE  EXERCISES— By  U.  S.  Regulars.  Attack  by 
two  battalions  Seventeenth  Infantry  and  one  squadron 
Eleventh  Cavalry  upon  the  Coast  Artillery  Corps,  hold- 
ing and  defending  the  southern  line  of  Forsyth  Park. 


From  left  to  right  :  Hon.  Joseph  M.  Brown.  Governor  of  Georgia:  Hon.  A.  Mitchell  Innes, 
Acting  British  Ambassador:  Hon.  B.  B.  Comer,  Governor  of  Alabama:  Chancellor  D.  C.  Bar- 
row of  the  University  of  Georgia:  Senator  Joseph  M.  Terrell:  Senator  A.  0.  Bacon:  Col.  A. 
M.  Brookfield.  Resident  British  Consul:   and  Hon.  Charles  G.  Edwards,  M.  C. 


Assembling:  The  Governor  and  his  Staff. 


UNVEILING  AND  DEDICATION. 


The  day  was  an  ideal  one  for  the  historic  occasion.  A 
cloudless  autumnal  sky  showered  the  splendors  of  a  soft 
Southern  sun  upon  a  scene  of  rare  impressiveness  and 
beauty.  State  and  national  flags,  banners  and  gay  bunting, 
lent  an  added  charm  to  the  rich  foliage  of  crimson  and 
gold,  while  brilliant  military  uniforms  and  handsome  dress 
completed  a  picture  worthy  of  a  painter's  brush.  The 
monument  itself  in  mute  dignity,  and  veiled  with  the  flags 
of  Georgia  and  England  united,  rose  from  the  centre  of 
Cliippewa  square,  and  around  its  base  were  grouped  the 
distinguished  representatives  of  a  sentiment  which  at  last 
had  found  concrete  expression  from  the  hearts  of  an  appre- 
ciative people  in  enduring  marble  and  bronze.  On  the 
left  was  the  Commission  appointed  by  the  state  to  execute 
the  work.  By  their  side  sat  the  sculptor,  Daniel  Chester 
French,  whose  genius  and  artistic  skill  had  created  the 
bronze  statue  of  Georgia's  heroic  founder,  soon  to  be  un- 
veiled, and  by  his  side  was  Mr.  Henry  Bacon,  the  architect 
who  designed  the  marble  and  stone  setting  for  the  main 
ligure  itself.  In  front  sat  His  Excellency,  Joseph  M. 
Brown,  the  Governor  of  Georgia  with  his  staff,  and  by 
his  side  in  appropriate  position  the  Hon.  A.  Mitchell  Innes, 
aicting  British  Ambassador  and  representative  of  the  Court 
of  St.  James.  Governor  B.  B.  Comer  of  Alabama  with  his 
staff  fittingly  represented  Georgia's  territorial  daughter  to 
the  west.  Hon.  Augustus  O.  Bacon,  Georgia's  senior  sen- 
ator, and  Hon.  Joseph  M.  Terrell,  the  junior  senator  and 
former  Governor,  sat  next,  with  Chancellor  David  C.  Bar- 
row of  the  University  of  Georgia,  Hon.  Charles  G.  Ed- 
wards, member  of  Congress,  Col.  Daniel  C.  Kingman  of 
the  U.  S.  Engineers,  and  other  distinguished  visitors. 

Back  of  these  were  grouped  in  reserved  seats  the  Society 
of  Colonial  Dames  of  America,  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution,  The  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  The  Society 
of  Colonial  Wars,  The  Georgia  Society  of  the  Cincinnati, 
the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  representatives  of  the 
United  Confederate  Veterans,  the  Hibernia,  Victoria,  and 
St.   Andrew's    Societies ;   representatives   of  the    Board   of 


/S       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 


Trade,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Cotton  Exchange,  the 
Retail  Merchants'  Association;  the  General  Committee  of 
the  Oglethorpe  Monument  Celebration,  The  Daughters  of 
the  Confederacy,  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  the  County  Com- 
missioners, the  Park  and  Tree  Commission,  the  City  and 
County  Officials,  Solomon's  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  many 
other  guests. 

Around  these  were  grouped  the  various  military  com- 
panies and  thousands  of  citizens,  completely  filling  the 
square  and  the  adjacent  streets.  The  gathering  of  these 
bodies  amidst  the  strains  of  martial  music  was  as  inspir- 
ing as  it  was  dignified  and  orderly.  When  all  was  in  readi- 
ness the  Hon.  J.  Randolph  Anderson,  the  Chairman  of  the 
Commission,  conducted  to  the  platform  the  Rt.  Rev.  F.  F. 
Reese,  the  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Georgia,  who,  after  calling 
upon  all  to  stand  and  join  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  delivered 
the  following  invocation: 

INVOCATION. 

"Almighty  God,  who  art  the  author  and  giver  of  all  good 
things,  and  who  dost  govern  all  things  in  Heaven  and 
earth,  we  give  Thee  hearty  thanks  for  the  spirit  of  brave 
adventure  to  which  this  state  owes  its  birth,  and  especially 
for  the  courage  and  spirit  of  benevolence  of  thy  servant, 
James  Edward  Oglethorpe,  its  founder,  whom  we  com- 
memorate this  day.  And  we  beseech  Thee  to  accept  and 
bless  this  memorial  as  the  expression  of  our  gratitude  for 
his  labor  and  sacrifice  for  the  poor  and  unfortunate.  Grant 
to  all  of  us,  the  people  of  this  state,  who  have  entered  into 
his  labor  and  the  labors  of  other  men,  that  we  may  be  so 
faithful  to  our  trust  as  citizens  of  this  commonwealth,  that 
peace  and  happiness,  truth  and  justice,  religion  and  piety 
may  be  established  among  us  for  all  generations.  And  may 
Thy  holy  Avill  be  done  and  Thy  kingdom  come  among  us 
and  among  all  the  people  of  our  land,  to  Thy  glory  and  the 
everlasting  salvation  of  all  men ;  through  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord.  Amen." 

ADDRESS   OF  HON.  J.  RANDOLPH   ANDERSON. 

Mr.  Anderson  then  in  behalf  of  the  Commission  deliver- 
ing the  monument  into  the  hands  of  the  state,  made  the 
following  address: 


The  Invocation  by  Rt.  Rev.  F.  F.  Reese. 


1  1th  U.  S.  Cavalry. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  ig 

"We  have  met  here  today  to  celebrate  the  successful 
attainment  of  a  great  object  which  for  many,  many  years 
has  been  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  our  state.  For 
nearly  a  century  successive  generations  of  Georgians  have 
agitated  and  hoped  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  memorial 
to  the  great  soldier,  statesman  and  philanthropist  who  cheer- 
fully sacrificed  the  comforts  of  his  home  and  laid  aside  a 
most  prominent  position  and  distinguished  career  in  England 
to  lead  his  chosen  band  of  followers  across  the  stormy 
wastes  of  the  Ocean.     As  Goldsmith  says : 

"  'To  distant  climes,  a  dreary  scene 

Where  half  the  convex  world  intrudes  between 
Through  torrid  tracts,  with  fainting  steps  they  go 
Where  wild  Altama  murmurs  to  their  woe.' 

"Landing  upon  this  bluff,  he  pitched  his  tent  and  estab- 
lished on  the  verge  of  an  unexplored  wilderness  the  begin- 
nings of  the  colony  of  Georgia^the  state  which  we,  her 
sons,  today  acclaim  with  loving  pride  as  the  Empire  State 
of  the  South ;  the  largest,  and  in  material  resources,  poten- 
tially perhaps  the  greatest  of  all  these  American  states  east 
of  the  Mississippi. 

"It  is  often  said  that  we  live  today  in  a  wholly  material- 
istic age,  and  that  our  people  are  so  entirely  absorbed  in 
the  work  of  the  present  and  in  plans  for  the  future  that 
they  have  no  time  for  thoughts  of  the  past  and  but  scant 
respect  for  its  deeds ;  but  this  distinguished  assemblage  de- 
monstrates that  firmly  implanted  within  us  we  still  possess 
the  deeply  rooted  conviction  of  the  sturdy  Anglo-Saxon 
stock  from  which  we  sprung,  that  a  people  without  monu- 
ments is  a  people  without  a  history.  History  itself  indeed 
shows  us  that  a  people  without  monuments  is  a  people 
without  civilization  and  without  progress.  No  race  and 
no  people  which  have  exhibited  the  trait  of  commemorating 
in  storied  marble  or  enduring  bronze  the  deeds  and  virtues 
of  its  departed  heroes  has  ever  failed  to  mightily  sway  the 
destinies  of  mankind ;  and  no  people  or  race  which  has 
failed  to  do  so  has  ever  left  more  than  a  passing  imprint  on 
the  sands  of  time. 

"Of  all  the  great  Englishmen  who  had  a  hand  in  the  dis- 
covery or  in  the  colonization  of  this  continent  none  is  more 
worthy  of  being  honored  by  the  whole  American  people 
than  he  to  whose  memory  we  are  paying  tribute  today; 
for  aside  from  all  other  reasons,  we  know  that  to  his  for- 


20       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Motiument 


titude,  to  his  daring  and  military  skill  is  due  the  fact 
that  the  dominant  language  and  civilization  of  North 
America  today  is  English  instead  of  Spanish.  To  us  Geor- 
gians he  stands  in  a  closer  and  dearer  relation,  for  it  was 
upon  our  soil  he  wrought  out  his  great  work  and  laid  deep 
and  strong  the  enduring  foundations  of  our  state.  And, 
therefore,  our  people  have  always  gratefully  and  affection- 
ately revered  his  memory  and  will  do  so  till  time  shall  be 
no  more.  In  the  early  days  while  he  was  still  in  life  the 
people  of  the  colony  made  annual  celebration  of  his  natal 
day;  and  since  his  death  the  continued  desire  has  existed 
to  erect  a  proper  tribute  to  his  memory. 

"Time  does  not  permit  of  my  making  mention  here  of 
the  various  efforts  that  at  different  periods  have  been  made 
in  this  direction  nor  of  how  the  hopes  of  our  people  were 
thwarted.  As  the  years  rolled  on  these  efforts  became 
more  frequent  and  more  earnest,  but  civil  war,  pestilence 
and  panic  all  exerted  their  baleful  effect  to  postpone  once 
and  again  the  desired  day  and  balked  the  efforts  of  our 
people  and  of  the  state  itself.  I  am  informed  that  in  the 
year  1860  the  lower  House  of  the  General  Assembly  passed 
a  bill  carrying  an  appropriation  for  a  monument  to  Gen. 
Oglethorpe,  but  the  fast  gathering  clouds  of  the  great  war 
between  the  states  were  already  casting  their  menacing 
shadows  over  the  land ;  and  the  Senate  felt  unable  to  enact 
the  measure  into  law. 

"Many  times  in  the  past  have  patriotic  Georgians  urged 
the  erection  of  a  fitting  monument  to  Gen.  Oglethorpe  but 
it  had  been  reserved  to  our  own  day  and  to  our  own  gene- 
ration to  see  this  long-cherished  and  long-deferred  hope 
of  our  people  fulfilled.  Today  marks  an  important  event 
in  our  state's  history.  At  last  the  cherished  dream  has  be- 
come a  reality,  the  long-deferred  hope  has  ripened  into  ful- 
fillment and  Georgia  has  gathered  here  today  her  sons  and 
daughters  from  Rabun  Gap  to  Tybee  Light,  and  by  act  of 
her  General  Assembly  has  caused  her  chief  executive  and  a 
large  part  of  the  military  forces  of  the  state  to  participate 
in  these  unveiling  ceremonies  and  to  give  to  them  a  solem- 
nity and  impressiveness  worthy  of  the  dignity  of  the  state 
and  of  the  memory  of  the  truly  great  man  who  was  its 
founder. 

"Tlie  day  and  the  occasion  are  all  the  more  auspicious  be- 
cause we  are  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  acting  ambas- 
sador from  the  Court  of  St.  James  to  this  country,  who  is 
here  to  officially  represent  the  British  government  and  take 


To  General  James  Edivard  Oglethorpe. 


part  in  doing  honor  to  the  memory  of  a  man  of  whom  both 
countries  have  just  reasons  to  be  proud.  We  are  also  honor- 
ed by  the  presence  of  the  chief  executive  of  our  sister  state 
of  Alabama,  whose  early  history  is  so  closely  interwoven 
with  our  own ;  as  well  as  by  representatives  of  the  federal 
government  in  the  presence  of  the  officers  and  men  of  a 
large  body  of  troops  and  of  ships  of  war. 

"In  the  Legislature  of  1905  and  1906,  of  which  I  was  a 
member,  the  state  determined  that  the  time  had  at  last 
come  when  this  monument  should  be  erected.  By  an  act 
approved  Aug.  16,  1906,  the  state  was  to  be  supplemented  by 
the  funds  already  raised  by  the  Oglethorpe  monument  Asso- 
ciation, and  such  other  funds  as  it  and  the  various  patriotic 
societies  of  the  state  composing  it,  and  other  parties,  might 
contribute.  The  distinguished  gentleman  who  was  then 
Governor  of  Georgia,  and  who  is  now  our  junior  United 
States  senator,  and  present  with  us  today,  appointed  a  Com- 
mission to  carry  out  the  work  in  the  name  and  on  behalf  of 
the  state,  and  did  me  the  honor  to  appoint  me  as  its  chair- 
man. On  behalf  of  the  Commission,  I  now  have  the  honor 
to  make  personal  report  before  this  audience  to  the  present 
chief  executive  of  our  state  as  to  the  actions  of  the  Commis- 
sion. 

"Realizing,  sir,  that  such  a  memorial,  as  our  people  de- 
sired could  not  be  had  with  the  funds  then  available,  the 
Commission  sought  and  obtained  from  the  municipality  of 
Savannah  the  additional  sum  of  $12,000  for  the  monument 
and  a  further  sum  to  aid  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  unveiling. 
The  Commission  was  very  fortunate  in  being  able  to  enlist 
the  interest  and  obtain  the  services  of  the  talented  gentle- 
man who  is  with  us  today,  the  great  sculptor,  Daniel  Ches- 
ter French,  who  is  now  generally  regarded  in  this  country 
as  the  greatest  of  all  living  American  sculptors.  I  am 
proud  and  happy  also  to  be  able  to  report  that  he  himself 
considers  this  monument  to  be  the  finest  piece  of  work  he 
has  ever  done. 

"The  monument,  sir,  is  now  completed  and  the  statue  is 
about  to  be  unveiled  by  your  excellency.  The  Commission 
has  completed  its  labors  in  this  behalf  and  is  now  ready  to 
deliver  the  monument  into  the  care  of  the  city  of  Savannah 
to  be  preserved  for  the  people  of  this  state." 


22       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  A.  MITCHELL  INNES. 

After  the  address  of  Mr.  Anderson,  the  Hon.  A.  Mitchell 
Innes,  the  acting  British  Ambassador  and  representative 
of  the  Court  of  St.  James,  spoke  as  follows : 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : 

"It  is  with  peculiar  pleasure  that  I  have  come  among 
you  today  to  do  honor  to  the  brave  and  accomplished  gen- 
tleman, whose  statue  decorates  this  spot.  Oglethorpe  was 
in  every  way  a  fitting  founder  of  the  great  state,  to  which 
he  alluded  as  'the  little  colony  now  called  Georgia.' 

"What  would  he  think  if  he  could  return  to  the  city  of 
Savannah  today  and  see  how  great  a  forest  his  little 
plantation  has  grown?  When  he  landed  at  Charlestown 
nearly  two  hundred  years  ago  in  the  good  ship  Anne,  of 
about  two  hundred  tons  burden,  with  his  company  of  130 
souls,  who  must  have  been  tightly  packed  in  the  small  craft, 
not  the  most  vivid  imagination  could  have  pictured  the  bril- 
liant future  which  that  adventurous  voyage  inaugurated. 

"Nine  years  later,  indeed,  the  opposition  to  the  paternal 
government  of  Oglethorpe  saw  nothing  better  than  a  scene 
of  desolation,  and  his  opponents  complained  that  he  would 
allow  them  neither  riches,  nor  property,  nor  rum  to  gladden 
their  hearts.  They  were  no  better  than  slaves  themselves, 
according  to  their  own  account. 

"No  doubt  his  government,  which  his  enemies  character- 
terized  as  a  jumble  of  politics  and  power  was  despotic,  as  it 
had  to  be  in  the  circumstances,  as  every  beginning  must  be, 
and  no  doubt  he  maintained  a  discipline  which  was  irksome 
to  many  But  we  may  be  sure  that  it  was  at  that  time  not 
only  important,  but  vitally  necessary  to  the  life  of  the  col- 
ony, bounded  as  it  was  on  the  south  by  the  territor}^  of  a 
hostile  power.  If  he  had  allowed  the  introduction  of  spirits, 
or  if  he  had  permitted  the  life  of  ease,  which  the  possession 
of  slaves  would  have  entailed  in  the  little  community,  the 
weakening  of  energy  which  would  have  resulted  and  the 
demoralization  which  might  have  ensued  among  the  Indian 
tribes,  on  who  he  relied,  might  have  been  fatal  to  the  future 
of  the  colony. 

"For  Oglethorpe  was  no  Puritan.  Quite  the  contrary :  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  Jacobites,  and  certainly  the  first 
feast  which  the  weary  travelers  enjoyed  when  they  landed 
on  these  shores  savors  but  little  of  Puritanism.     A  chroni- 


To  General  James  Edwatd  Oglethorpe.  23 

cler  has  kindly  handed  down  to  posterity  an  account  of  the 
bill  of  fare.  It  consisted  of  four  fat  hogs,  eight  turkeys,  be- 
sides English  beef  and  fowls  and  other  provisions.  A  hogs- 
head of  punch,  that  is  63  gallons  of  that  potent  beverage; 
a  hogshead  of  beer,  besides  large  quantities  of  wine.  And 
when  the  chronicler  went  on  to  notice  what  evidently  struck 
him  as  the  most  remarkable  thing  about  the  banquet,  as  it 
certainly  was :  'And  all,'  he  says,  'was  disposed  in  a  man- 
ner so  regular  that  no  person  was  drunk.' 

"The  whole  of  Oglethorpe's  life  contradicts  the  accusa- 
tions which  his  enemies  hurled  against  him.  On  the  con- 
trary, his  was  one  of  those  minds  filled  with  a  great  human 
love,  which  refuses  to  believe  that  nature  has  fixed  a  gulf 
between  this  class  and  that.  A  born  gentleman,  he  had 
grasped  the  truth  that  the  distinction  which  we,  in  our  little 
circle,  draw  between  the  aristocrat  and  the  peasant  comes 
not  of  God  but  of  man.  More  than  this,  he  had  grasped  a 
still  greater  truth,  that  there  is  gold  of  full  value  in  the  des- 
titute and  the  outcast,  that  the  terrible  retribution  that  so- 
ciety visits  on  the  unsuccessful  is  not  always  either  neces- 
sary or  just;  that  in  the  Fleet  and  the  Marshalsea,  those 
awful  prisons  of  the  debtor,  there  was  hidden  a  human  na- 
ture full  of  power  to  rise,  full  of  the  ability  to  create,  want- 
ing only  in  the  strength  to  burst  the  gyves  which  society, 
which  professed  but  did  not  always  practice  Christianity, 
had  firmly  welded  round  their  limbs. 

"You  all  of  you  remember  the  experiences  of  the  immor- 
tal Pickwick  in  the  Fleet,  when  rather  than  pay  the  dam- 
ages which  had  been  unjustly  awarded  to  Mrs.  Bardell,  he 
preferred  to  submit  to  the  penalty  of  imprisonment.  You 
remembered  the  cells  he  looked  into,  which  he  mistook  for 
coal  cellars,  and  the  atmosphere  of  depravity  and  degrada- 
tion which  pervaded  the  whole  place.  Yet  in  his  day  the 
debtors'  prisons  had  already  been  improved,  thanks  to  the 
efiforts  of  Oglethorpe  and  later  of  Howard,  who  must  have 
been  inspired  by  Oglethorpe's  example  in  the  great  work  of 
reform  which  he  undertook. 

"Today,  I  am  glad  to  say,  we  have  come  to  a  better 
knowledge  of  human  nature.  Slowly  we  are  realizing  that 
prison  is  not  the  cure  for  all  social  evils ;  that,  far  from  it, 
it  is  often  nothing  but  the  nostrum  of  the  quack,  which 
while  doing  no  good  to  the  patient's  sickness,  induces  other 
disorders  not  less  grave  than  that  which  it  professes  to  heal. 

"In  all  great  reform  movements  of  the  present  day  Ameri- 
ca is  taking  an  honorable  and  a  prominent  part,  whether  it 


24       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

is  for  the  reform  of  the  prison  system,  the  reform  of  cor- 
rupt municipalities,  or  the  improvement  in  international  re- 
lations. The  United  States  has  been  especially  to  the  fore 
in  the  promotion  of  the  friendly  settlement  of  disputes. 

"At  no  time  in  the  history  of  our  two  countries  have  the 
relations  been  more  cordial.  There  is  not  a  cloud  on  the 
horizon.  All  the  difficult  boundary  disputes  have  been  set- 
tled. The  complicated  questions  regarding  the  use  of 
boundary  waters  have  been  regulated,  and  a  joint  commis- 
sion has  been  established  for  settling  all  questions  which 
may  arise  in  the  application  of  the  principles  laid  down  and 
for  advising  on  any  other  questions  that  may  be  referred  to 
it.  A  quarrel  a  century  old  has  just  been  swept  away  by 
arbitration.  And  this  result  is  in  no  small  measure  due  to 
the  untiring  efforts  of  Mr.  Knox  and  his  predecessor,  Mr. 
Root,  toward  this  goal. 

"Only  a  few  days  ago  one  of  your  prominent  statesmen 
said  to  me  that  he  could  imagine  no  dispute  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britian  which  could  not  be  settled 
by  amicable  negotiations  or  by  arbitration,  and  that  he  con- 
sidered the  future  destinies  of  the  two  countries  to  be  in- 
dissolubly  bound  up  together 

"You  may  feel  sure  that  those  sentiments  are  heartily  re- 
ciprocated on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  and  that,  so  far 
as  human  eftort  can  prevail  or  good  will  can  reach,  we  shall 
do  our  share  toward  preserving  and  cementing  a  friendship 
which  we  regard  as  one  of  our  most  priceless  treasures." 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  WALTER  G.  CHARLTON. 

After  the  address  of  Mr.  Innes,  the  Hon.  Walter  G.  Charl- 
ton of  Savannah  delivered  the  following  oration : 

"Governor  of  Georgia,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  My  Fellow 
Georgians : 
"Near  two  centuries  ago  a  man  of  strong  and  noble  na- 
ture sought  here  and  there  in  London  a  missing  friend, 
whose  character  and  kindly  qualities  kept  him  in  affection- 
ate remembrance.  His  search  brought  him  at  length  to 
the  debtors'  prison  of  the  Fleet,  where  in  vilest  surrround- 
ings,  deliberately  imprisoned  in  a  narrow  cell  with  victims 
of  small-pox,  he  found  the  friend  of  his  youth,  dying  of  that 
loathsome  disease.  When  he  departed  from  that  horrible 
scene,  his  life  was  consecrated  to  a  great  purpose.  With 
the  passing  of  the  years  there  came  a  bright  day  in  the 


Address  of  Hon.  Walter  G.  Charlton. 


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The  Unveiling. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe  25 

long  ago,  when  as  the  soft  voices  of  spring  were  calling 
back  to  life  and  glory  the  sleeping  beauties  of  nature,  there 
landed  upon  what  was  destined  to  become  a  sovereign  state 
a  small  band,  selected  to  start  upon  its  career  the  most  re- 
markable experiment  in  the  history  of  colonization.  The 
purpose  had  reached  its  fulfillment,  for  the  sorrowing  friend 
was  Oglethorpe ;  the  adventurers,  the  passengers  of  the 
Anne ;  the  land,  the  commonwealth  which  holds  our  alle- 
giance, our  hopes,  our  happiness. 

"As  they  stood  at  that  historic  moment  beneath  the  mar- 
velous blue  of  the  February  sky — free  as  the  winds  which 
sighed  through  the  majestic  pines  which  surrounded  them — 
their  memories  aglow  with  the  hospitality  which  had  re- 
ceived and  sheltered  them  as  their  voyage  drew  to  its  con- 
clusion on  the  neighboring  shores  of  Carolina,  no  happier 
people  ever  faced  the  serious  responsibilities  of  life.  About 
them  was  grace  and  song  and  beauty ;  before  them,  the  pros- 
pect of  rest  and  content ;  within  them,  the  peace  of  God. 
The  tempestuous  Atlantic,  with  its  wintry  wastes,  had  be- 
come a  memory;  and  in  the  dim  vistas  of  the  past,  the  cruel 
bitterness  of  man's  brutality  was  fading  away  as  the  phan- 
toms of  the  night  before  the  warmth  and  splendor 
of  the  rising  sun.  They  were  not  makers  of  history,  these 
six  score  men  and  women  from  the  debtors'  prisons  of  Eng- 
land. They  were  the  opportunity  through  which  history 
is  made.  With  all  the  limitations  the  condition  suggests, 
they  had  been  the  victims  of  the  most  merciless  system  of 
laws  which  ever  disgraced  a  civilized  country — and  were 
now  free ;  free  to  take  up  the  broken  journey  of  a  life  which, 
burdened  as  it  had  been  with  measureless  suffering,  had 
yet  been  untouched  by  the  vice  and  dishonesty  which  sur- 
rounded it  hour  by  hour.  They  were  good  men  who  had 
failed  in  the  practical  affairs  of  life,  and  from  whom  had  de- 
parted the  buoyancy  of  youth.  They  had  marked  time  as 
ambition  hurried  by  and  was  lost.  And  yet,  when  the  last 
man  stepped  ashore  on  that  historic  day  the  echo  of  his 
footfall  was  to  sound  down  the  centuries ;  the  historian  was 
to  take  up  a  new  story  in  the  annals  of  nations — for  the 
great  tide  in  hviman  affairs  had  turned  definitely  to  its  up- 
ward flow. 

"There  had  been  nothing  like  it  in  the  history  of  mankind. 
They  were  of  the  weak  and  oppressed  of  earth.  Few  in 
number;  untrained  in  military  venture,  unskilled  in  civic 
construction,  their  mision  was  to  build  for  all  time  an  em- 
pire in  a  v/ilderness  and  hold  it  against  the  warlike  savage 


26       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 


and  the  armies  and  navies  of  one  of  the  greatest  powers  of 
Europe.  Even  as  they  set  foot  upon  the  shore,  facing  them 
were  the  hordes  of  Indians  whom  they  were  to  resist,  whilst 
to  the  south  were  gathering  like  unto  the  storm-clouds  of 
the  coming  tempest  the  hosts  of  Spain.  Yet  from  the  tragic 
elements  of  failure  came  victory,  for  in  the  divine  purposes 
of  the  Almighty  it  had  been  ordained  at  that  moment  there 
should  stand  upon  the  soil  of  Georgia  the  one  man  in  all 
the  world  through  whom  victory  might  come. 

"A  great  artist,  under  the  inspiration  of  a  great  subject, 
has  brought  to  triumphant  conclusion  a  work  of  art  which, 
for  all  time,  will  hold  the  attention  and  interest  of  those 
whose  vision  rises  above  the  sordid  and  groveling  concerns 
of  life  and  takes  within  its  scope  the  things  which  charm 
and  ennoble  thought  and  action.  To  him  who  loves  art 
for  art's  sake,  the  faithfulness  of  detail ;  the  grace  of  outline ; 
the  strength  of  pose ;  the  historic  perfection  of  the  por- 
trayal will  hold  in  fascination.  What  the  Georgian  will  see 
and  what  he  will  carry  in  his  memory  from  this  historic  spot 
will  be  the  recollection  of  a  strong,  dominant  warrior,  with 
the  fighting  look  upon  his  face — resolute  and  unconquerable 
— in  the  wisdom  of  Providence  destined  to  stand  on  Georgia 
soil  and  in  one  momentous  day  end  forever  a  conflict  which 
had  convulsed  the  civilization  of  Europe  for  centuries;  and 
to  see  as  he  sheathed  his  victorious  sword  what  would  be 
in  time  the  greatest  monument  it  was  ever  given  to  man  to 
rear — a  free  and  sovereign  State. 

"Human  force  and  genius  are  so  often  contrasted  with 
the  grave  crises  which  threaten  to  destroy  the  organized 
affairs  of  men,  that  when  emergencies  occur  we  instinctively 
search  the  perspective  for  the  inevitable  relief.  The  tension 
of  the  situation  reacts  upon  the  tendencies  of  given  minds 
and  won  or  lost  no  great  cause  ever  swayed  the  hopes  and 
emotions  of  mankind  but  from  the  stress  and  conflict  sprang 
some  heroic  spirit  to  leave  its  shining  record  on  the  pages 
of  history.  Of  the  greatness  of  Oglethorpe  is  the  fact  that 
no  crisis  was  at  hand  when  he  started  upon  the  illustrious 
career,  in  recognition  of  which  a  grateful  people  this  day 
do  homage  to  his  memory.  In  the  times  in  which  he  began 
life  the  direction  in  which  his  steps  led  was  along  the  beaten 
path  of  thousands.  A  military  apprenticeship  under  gen- 
erals of  renown ;  a  parliamentary  career  of  more  or  less  use- 
fulness ;  a  respectable  and  quiet  old  age  amid  the  congenial 
surroundings  of  a  privileged  class — it  was  the  common  fate 
of  those  from  whom  he  came 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  27 


"The  imagination  falters  as  it  attempts  to  reconstruct  the 
conditions  upon  which  the  contemporaries  of  Oglethorpe 
looked  with  the  complacency  which  hourly  contact  indu- 
ces. In  military  prowess ;  in  terrific  hardships  upon  land 
and  sea;  in  shrewd  and  cunning  diplomacy  and  politics, 
the  age  was  supreme.  For  the  simpler  and  nobler  quali- 
ties from  which  are  evolved  the  patriot  and  the  brother, 
there  was  neither  place  nor  recognition.  The  greatest  sol- 
dier of  the  age  did  not  hesitate  to  sell  his  country  for  gold ; 
the  poet  on  bended  knee  served  the  fruitions  of  his  soul  to 
the  taste  of  the  dissolute  in  power;  the  statesman  pandered 
to  the  vices  of  those  who  could  repay  in  coin  and  place  the 
eloquence  which  belonged  to  the  race  and  not  to  the  indi- 
vidual. Jeffries  had  not  long  since  ridden  upon  his  circuit, 
with  a  sneer  upon  his  lips,  sending  to  the  gallows,  amid  the 
brutal  clamor  of  the  accompanying  mob,  women  and  chiki- 
ren  for  offenses  which  now  receive  the  least  of  punishments. 
The  poor  were  despised;  the  sick  abandoned;  the  stricken 
in  mind  maltreated  and  exhibited  for  money.  Deep  down 
in  all  of  this  misery,  friendless  and  hopeless,  forgotten  of 
friend  and  kindred,  removed  even  from  the  exhausted  mal- 
ice of  foes,  was  the  insolvent  debtor  whose  only  crime  was 
his  inability  to  deliver  at  the  moment  of  demand  the  money 
he  had  promised  to  pay. 

"Appalling  as  was  the  condition  which  prevailed  as  the 
century  drew  to  its  close,  the  most  frightful  manifestation 
was  the  unprotested  acceptance  of  it  as  endurably  natural. 
Removed  by  the  circumstances  of  birth  from  its  more  debas- 
ing aspects  and  influences  was  born  on  Dec.  22,  1696,  James 
Edward  Oglethorpe.  Influence  and  opportunity  brought 
him  a  commission,  in  his  fifteenth  year,  under  Marlborough, 
and  after  the  peace  of  1712  he  served  under  Prince  Eugene 
in  the  campaigns  on  the  Danube  There  could  have  been 
no  better  martial  schooling.  But  in  this  English  boy  was 
something  beyond  military  enthusiasm.  Working  in  his 
active  brain  was  the  constructive  force  which  moulds  states- 
men, and  so  directs  and  rules  the  destinies  of  nations.  He 
mig'ht  in  the  parliamentary  career  upon  which  he  entered 
in  1722,  have  attained  distinction,  or,  restive  in  the  subser- 
vient crowd  which  dog  the  footsteps  of  the  great,  he  might 
have  gone  prematurely  to  that  life  of  quiet  which  in  the  dis- 
tance awaited  his  coming.  It  was  otherwise  ordained.  The 
pen  of  a  great  novelist  a  century  later  aroused  to  indigtiant 
protest  the  English  mind  against  the  iniquities  of  imprison- 
ment for  debt,  and  the  echo  of  that  far  ofif  revolution  in 


28       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

public  sentiment  sounded  at  length  in  the  constitution  of 
Georgia. 

"But  on  the  day  when  Oglethorpe  moved  by  the  misfor- 
tune of  a  friend  passed  through  the  portals  of  the  Fleet  to 
find  Robert  Castell  suffering  amid  the  unspeakable  brutali- 
ties of  the  debtors'  prison  the  tortures  of  small-pox,  there 
was  no  public  conscience  to  be  aroused  to  horror.  When 
Hampden  stormed  with  vivid  bursts  of  eloquence  in  the 
British  parliament,  appealing  to  the  eternal  principles  of 
liberty,  though  they  brought  down  upon  him  the  wrath  of 
royalty,  his  words  found  lodgment  in  the  souls  and  memo- 
ries of  thousands,  to  grow  and  develop  until  in  time  all  En- 
gland responded  to  the  truths  he  had  proclaimed.  The  sen- 
timent and  the  crisis  were  at  hand.  But  upon  this  man 
was  to  fall  not  only  the  responsibility  of  meeting  and  over- 
coming a  great  evil  by  the  force  of  his  individuality,  but  of 
creating  the  opportunity  without  which  his  enthusiasm  and 
devotion  must  fade  and  perish  for  want  of  that  upon  which 
it  must  take  root  to  live. 

"The  England  of  1729  took  no  heed  of  what  fate  might 
befall  the  insolvent  debtor.  Misfortune  and  misery  excit- 
ed its  mirth  ;  and  compassion  like  some  feeble  growth  slight- 
rooted  in  arid  soil,  sent  its  weak  and  nerveless  tendrils  here 
and  there  in  fitful  and  uncertain  ways  toward  what  might 
prove  support.  The  man  and  the  evil  stood  face  to  face, 
and  singly  and  alone,  as  in  the  tales  where  moved  the 
knights-errant  of  the  age  of  poesy,  he  gave  fight  until  the 
sheer  gallantry  of  the  spectacle  began  to  make  a  responsive 
thrill,  and  gather  to  him,  one  by  one,  the  kindred  spirits 
which,  few  in  number,  but  worthy  of  the  cause  in  which 
they  fought,  stood  with  him  until  the  glorious  end  became 
a  conclusion  never  to  be  undone  in  the  history  of  man.  His 
chivalrous  heart,  full  of  indignant  pity  for  the  sorrows  upon 
vvhich  he  looked,  Oglethorpe  introduced  into  parliament 
a  resolution  of  inquiry  into  the  conditions  of  the  debtors' 
prisons.  The  investigation  which  followed  revealed,  in  the 
language  of  an  historian  of  that  epoch,  'infamous  jobbery 
and  more  infamous  cruelty  on  the  part  of  prison  officials.' 
With  the  report  came  the  opportunity  without  which  the 
greatness  of  individuals  means  nothing. 

"They  fail  to  grasp  the  greatness  of  this  man's  nature  who 
see  in  his  efforts  only  the  workings  of  emotional  benevo- 
lence— the  distempered  energy  which  forces  its  conceptions 
of  altruism  upon  the  poor  with  no  thought  for  the  poor 
man's    dignity  of  thought  and  independence  of  spirit.  What 


Battalion  Benedictine  Cadets. 


1st  Regiment  Band. 


To  General  James  Edivard  Oglethorpe,  29 


moved  him  to  action  was  a  divine  wrath  against  injustice — 
the  scorn  of  an  exalted  mind  for  the  besotted  barbarities  of 
a  practice  which  found  no  warrant  in  the  laws  of  God  or 
the  promptings  of  common  humanity.  It  was  characteris- 
tic of  the  situation  that  when  the  charter  of  Georgia  came 
to  be  signed  the  names  written  into  it  were  few — few  and 
known  and  honored.  Written  at  a  time  when  the  great  civ- 
ic and  private  virtues  which  illustrate  every  condition  of 
our  day  were  in  a  state  of  dormancy,  its  language  places 
it  among  the  priceless  documents  of  the  ages.  Without 
profit  or  reward  or  hope  of  material  benefit  to  any  incorpo- 
rator, it  was  recited  that  his  majesty,  having  taken  into  con- 
sideration the  miserable  circumstances  of  many  of  his  own 
poor  subjects,  ready  to  perish  for  want,  as  likewise  the  dis- 
tress of  many  poor  foreigners  who  would  take  refuge  here 
from  persecution,  hath,  out  of  his  fatherly  compassion  to- 
ward his  subjects,  been  graciously  pleased  to  grant  a  char- 
ter for  incorporating  a  number  of  gentlemen  by  the  name 
of  'The  Trustees  for  establishing  a  colony  of  Georgia  in 
America.' 

"We  are  accustomed  to  the  spectacle  of  public  altruism, 
where  the  plethoric  dispenser  of  charity  pursues  his  com- 
placent wa}^  with  a  stafif  of  newspaper  reporters  at  his  heels, 
and  followed  by  the  gaping  multitude  from  whom  he  has 
drawn  his  wealth ;  and  with  cheque  book  in  one  hand  and 
chisel  in  the  other  erects  an  edifice  with  the  one  and  with 
the  other  carves  his  ignoble  name  that  we  may  not  forget 
the  incident.  But  here  was  a  soul  crying  aloud,  like  John 
in  the  wilderness,  with  no  thought  of  self,  that  the  helpless 
might  be  lifted  from  the  depths  of  despair  and  the  stricken 
in  spirit  take  hope  for  the  renewed  conflicts  of  a  life  which 
had  come  to  be  with  them  a  vague  and  insubstantial  mem- 
ory. Whatever  his  eloquence  or  want  of  eloquence,  from 
the  material  of  the  impossible  this  one  man  evolved  the  pos- 
sible and  the  fact;  and  when  the  slow  processes  of  legis- 
lative inquiry  began  to  quiver  into  movement,  and  piece  by 
piece  to  form  in  the  minds  of  the  few  the  result  which  took 
form  in  the  charter  of  Georgia,  the  refuge  for  the  friendless 
and  the  oppressed,  the  first  practical  step  in  the  direction 
of  moral  reform  in  social  conditions  had  been  taken ;  and 
although  the  labor  and  eloquence  of  an  hundred  years  were 
to  be  expended  before  the  revolution  in  public  sentiment 
became  assured  and  the  Samaritan  began  once  more  to 
travel  along  the  highways  of  life,  the  fact  remains  that 
among  human  agencies  to  the  founder  of  Georgia  is  to  be 


JO        A  History  of  the  Erection  and' Dedication  of  the  Monument 


ascribed  the  first  practical  step  in  the  direction  of  that  com- 
prehensive altruism  which  in  our  day  works  to  its  blessed 
ends  with  no  hope  of  reward  and  no  thought  of  personal 
importance. 

"It  was  not  to  be  conceived  that  any  man,  be  his  persua- 
siveness what  it  might,  could  impress  on  King  or  parlia- 
ment or  subject  the  practicability  or  desirability  of  estab- 
lishing in  a  distant  wilderness  beyond  the  seas  a  colony  for 
the  friendless  and  the  oppressed,  without  more.  The 
shrewdness  of  Oglethorpe's  mind  foresaw  that  without 
some  practical  importance  to  be  given  the  movement  he 
had  in  contemplation,  something  which  would  appeal  to  a 
general  sentiment  already  existing,  rather  than  to  one  which 
should  exist,  but  did  not,  the  work  he  had  in  view  would 
never  progress  beyond  his  hopes.  Whatever  might  be  the 
social  degradation  to  which  England  had  descended,  with 
the  consequent  indifference  to  the  inevitable  results  which 
followed  upon  such  a  deplorable  condition,  in  one  direction 
the  public  sentiment  was  sound.  An  appeal  which  was 
founded  upon  the  necessity  or  advisability  of  extending  the 
military  power  had  prompt  and  effective  response  from  no- 
ble and  peasant.  Marlborough  might  traffic  with  the  Court 
of  France,  but  Marlborough  was  none  the  less  the  great 
general  who  had  carried  the  flag  of  England  in  triumph 
through  the  ranks  of  continental  powers ;  whilst  wherever 
the  ocean  beat,  over  its  stormy  waves  floated  in  defiant  free- 
dom the  historic  banner  which  our  ancestors  loved. 

"Colonies  for  the  exercise  of  benevolence  were  unknown 
to  the  statesmanship  of  that  or  any  other  age ;  but  colonies 
for  military  purposes  were  as  old  as  civilization  itself.  The 
presentation  was  attractive ;  the  utility  demonstrable. 
Across  the  stretches  of  a  vast  ocean  was  a  colony  favored 
of  the  crown  and  established  in  the  sentiments  of  the  people. 
To  the  south  and  west  were  tribes  of  savages  of  unknown 
numbers,  ready  and  eager  to  descend  upon  its  resources, 
whilst  in  the  offing  were  gathered  the  navies  of  the  heredi- 
tary foe  of  England,  with  which  at  intervals  it  had  waged 
desperate  warfare  extending  over  centuries  of  time.  So  to 
the  project  of  the  benevolent  colony  was  added  the  alluring 
prospect  of  a  colony  which  was  to  interpose  its  effective 
presence  between  Carolina  on  the  one  hand  and  the  Span- 
iard and  Indian  on  the  other.  Men  might  scoff  at  the  op- 
portunity to  be  furnished  the  insolvent  debtor  to  redeem  his 
fortunes,  but  it  would  not  occur  to  the  practical  minded 
Briton  to  view  with  indifference  a  determined  body  of  ag- 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  j/ 

gressive  E^nglishmen  to  be  drawn  from  the  fighting  stock 
of  the  old  country  and  landed  upon  a  distant  shore  charged 
with  the  duty  of  fighting,  and  fighting  in  what  to  all  was 
not  only  a  good  cause,  but  a  cause  which  had  in  it  the  ele- 
ment of  temper  as  well  as  right. 

"And  so  what  was  apparently  the  secondary  purpose  of 
the  settlement  of  Georgia  became  by  force  of  circumstances 
inherent  in  the  original  project  the  real  purpose — and  the 
charter  in  ringing  terms  made  this  the  only  military  colony 
in  America.  In  considering  the  character  and  success  of 
Oglethorpe  both  purposes  are  to  be  borne  in  mind.  That 
his  object  was  really  to  lift  from  the  deplorable  condition 
in  which  he  was  the  insolvent  debtor,  there  can  be  no  doubt; 
that  he  accepted  not  only  in  good  faith  but  with  the  enthusi- 
asm of  one  in  whom  the  spirit  of  chivalry  was  developed  to 
its  highest  excellence,  the  additional  charge  to  carry  to  suc- 
cess the  English  arms,  is  equally  certain.  No  one  of  his 
unusual  perspicacity  could  fail  to  know  that  a  colony  of  in- 
solvent debtors  just  from  the  loathsome  prisons  of  England, 
however  honest  they  might  be,  would  be  worse  than  useless 
as  a  military  establishment.  It  meant  in  all  probability  just 
so  many  more  people  to  protect.  A  man  who  was  simply 
wise  without  being  great  and  humane  would  upon  the  grant- 
ing of  the  charter  with  its  two  objects,  have  ignored  the 
one  and  fixed  his  hopes  upon  the  other. 

"If  he  had  followed  the  paths  of  his  predecessors  in  colo- 
nial experimentation  that  would  have  been  his  determina- 
tion. If  he  had  in  view  personal  aggrandizement,  personal 
greed,  personal  privilege,  the  military  feature  assured  the 
friendless  prisoners  would  have  been  relegated  to  despair.  It 
is  to  be  remembered  of  this  man  so  long  as  history  shall  carry 
the  deeds  and  greatness  of  mortals  to  a  discriminating  pos- 
terity, that  in  all  the  years  of  the  administration  of  the  af- 
fairs of  the  colony  of  Georgia,  from  the  moment  when  the 
project  took  shape  in  his  mind  and  heart  to  the  moment 
when,  his  work  accomplished,  he  saw  the  lines  of 
her  coast  recede  from  his  vision ;  through  the  resulting  years 
of  honor  and  dignity,  unto  the  moment  when  he  passed  into 
the  peace  of  eternity,  the  founder  of  Georgia  never  owned 
a  foot  of  Georgia  soil ;  enjoyed  no  privilege  in  her  vast  do- 
main save  such  as  was  necessary  to  the  effective  discharge 
of  his  public  trust ;  and  so  far  from  taking  to  his  profit  one 
cent  devoted  to  her  development  or  the  purposes  of  her  set- 
tlement, left  the  service  of  Georgia  and  of  the  crown  of  En- 


S2       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

gland  with  fortune  impaired  and  never  restored  by  the  gov- 
ernment which  had  profited  by  his  work. 

"You  will  search  in  vain  through  the  stories  of  American 
colonization,  my  fellow  Georgians,  for  the  instance  which 
suggests  remotely  the  disinterestedness  of  him  in  whose  hon- 
or we  are  here  today.  Integrity  and  disinterestedness  in 
public  life  as  the  illustrated  Oglethorpe,  so  made  they  our 
people  great  in  the  days  which  followed.  Guard  with  con- 
stant watchfulness  this  priceless  heritage,  for  on  that  day 
when  we  become  indifferent  to  the  influence  of  these  virtues  ; 
that  moment  when  we  view  with  complacency  the  give  and 
take  of  modern  politics,  so  sure  as  the  rising  of  the  sun  will 
be  the  passing  of  the  republic  which  Southern  thought  and 
sacrifice  made  possible  and  Southern  tradition  and  devotion 
keep  secure  in  the  deadly  storms  which  are  now  shaking  it 
to  its  foundations. 

"The  occasion  is  concerned  with  the  individual  rather  than 
the  incidents  which  one  by  one  formed  his  life  work  into  a 
great  historical  event,  not  without  its  epic  setting.  Consider 
for  a  moment  a  broad  and  chivalric  nature,  trained  in  the 
school  of  military  service  under  the  great  captains  of  Europe, 
at  the  head  of  a  colony  of  120  men  and  women,  broken  in  for- 
tune and  in  spirit,  bound  for  a  wild  country  across  the  tem- 
pestuous seas,  extending  the  written  words  of  the  char- 
ter from  the  waters  of  the  Savannah  to  the  South  seas — a 
land  inhabited  by  savages  of  warlike  disposition  and  habit, 
and  menaced  by  the  naval  and  military  power  of  the  ancient 
and  truculent  foe  of  England.  Yet  when  on  November  30, 
1732,  the  good  ship  Anne  set  sail  from  Gravesend  and  turned 
her  prow  to  the  setting  sun,  at  that  moment  began  a  distinct 
epoch  not  only  in  the  military  history  of  England,  but  in  the 
moral  development  of  mankind. 

"Upon  that  momentous  voyage  and  its  conclusion  at  the 
hospitable  shores  of  Carolina  it  is  not  permissible  to  dwell 
at  length.  Leaving  the  colonists  in  the  generous  care  of  the 
noble  people  of  that  great  colony,  Oglethorpe  pursued  his 
way  to  Georgia  and  in  a  brief  interview  with  Tomochichi  set- 
tled for  all  time  the  relations  between  the  colony  and  the  In- 
dians There  is  no  such  colonial  record  anywhere  in  Ameri- 
ca. Without  this  victory  of  peace  the  colony  could  not  have 
progressed,  if  it  could  have  started  upon  its  way,  and  it 
would  reflect  upon  a  generous  people  to  forego  a  passing 
tribute  to  that  great  Georgian  of  the  long  ago  whose  broad- 
ness of  mind  and  faithfulness  of  character  made  possible  the 
solution  of  this  problem  which  confronted  the  colonists  at 


Battalion   1st  Regiment. 


2d  Battalion   1st  Infantry. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  33 


the  threshold  of  their  undertaking.  It  has  been  said  that 
'not  a  day  passes  over  the  earth  but  men  and  women  of  no 
note  do  great  deeds,  speak  great  words  and  suffer  noble 
sorrows.  Of  these  obscure  heroes,  philosophers  and  mar- 
tyrs, the  greater  part  will  never  be  known  till  that  hour  when 
many  that  are  great  shall  be  small  and  the  small  great;  but 
of  others  the  world's  knowledge  may  be  said  to  sleep;  their 
lives  and  characters  lie  hidden  from  nations  in  the  annals 
that  record  them.' 

"Of  these  last  was  Tomochichi,  who,  when  upward  of 
ninety  years  of  age,  was  fighting  the  enemies  of  Georgia.  In 
a  neighboring  square,  a  few  hundred  feet  from  this  spot, 
where  he  was  laid  to  rest  by  the  people  of  Georgia,  a  noble 
band  of  Georgia  women,  carrying  out  the  forgotten  behest 
of  Oglethorpe  made  in  the  long  ago,  have  placed  as  a  me- 
morial where  he  was  buried  a  boulder  of  Georgia  granite. 
On  it  is  inscribed  that  he  was  the  Mico  of  the  Yamacraws; 
the  companion  of  Oglethorpe,  and  the  friend  and  ally  of 
the  colony  of  Georgia.  As  they  were  associated  in  life,  so 
let  them  live  together  in  our  grateful  memories,  and  let  this 
spot  on  which  stands  the  monument  to  the  one  discard 
a  designation  which  is  meaningless  and  take  on  the  name 
of  the  old  warrior  whose  friendship  made  possible  the 
peaceful  settlement  of  the  colony  of  Georgia. 

"From  the  petty  details  and  annoyances  of  colonial  in- 
auguration, infinitely  more  trying  to  one  of  Oglethorpe's 
character  than  the  stern  hardships  and  dangers  of  cam- 
paigning, the  project  in  what  began  to  be  its  more  critical 
phase  engrossed  the  thought  and  anxiety  of  the  leader. 
The  Indian  had  been  converted  into  a  friend  but  the  war- 
clouds  were  still  gathering  to  the  south.  To  attempt  to  stay 
that  storm  by  the  exhibition  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  in- 
solvent debtors  would  have  recalled,  amid  the  derisive  laugh- 
ter of  the  gods,  Xerxes  stilling  the  sounding  waves  with  the 
uplifting  of  his  hands.  But  the  call  to  battle  which  rung  in 
the  words  of  the  Georgia  Charter  had  not  been  unheeded. 
The  first  adventurers  who  sailed  in  the  Anne  came  from 
the  debtors'  prison,  but  the  colonists  who  followed  during 
the  next  three  years  were  of  as  free  and  sturdy  a  stock  as 
ever  ventured  forth  to  extend  the  prestige  and  power  of 
England.  These  freemen  from  England  and  Scotland, 
with  the  brave-hearted  Salsburgers,  were  the  substantial 
colonists  of  Georgia,  and  from  their  arrival  here  the  move- 
ment took  on  new  life. 


J4       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

"It  was  a  colony  as  notable  for  what  it  did  not  do  as  for 
that  which  was  undertaken  and  accomplished.  It  was  of 
the  fortune  of  mankind  that  at  the  critical  moments  the 
guiding  power  was  in  the  man  who  had  made  the  experi- 
ment possible.  An  apparently  impossible  undertaking 
which  must  have  appealed  to  the  age  in  which  it  was  es- 
sayed as  a  comic  manifestation,  took  on  a  practical  busi- 
ness aspect  within  a  few  hours  of  the  landing.  The  In- 
dians became  friends ;  toleration  prevailed ;  civic  and  mili- 
tary progression  went  on  side  by  side ;  even  the  dreaded 
witch  in  free  Georgia  had  more  rights  than  the  minister  of 
•God  who  in  higher  latitudes  wandered  from  colony  to  colony 
seeking  in  vain  the  rest  which  his  vocation  suggested  and  his 
character  demanded  and  after  centuries  of  persecution  here 
at  last  the  learned  and  patient  Jew  found  peace.  To  the 
practical  mind  of  Oglethorpe  no  detail  was  negligible.  As 
there  were  no  mercenary  aims  in  the  venture  itself  or  its 
development,  the  grinding  processes  which  were  applied 
elsewhere  found  no  toleration  here.  It  was  not  only  a 
practical  mind  which  governed,  but  the  mind  of  a  construc- 
tive statesman,  trained  in  the  hard  school  of  military  neces- 
sity. 

"Oglethorpe  not  only  dealt  successfully  with  the  petty 
details  of  colonial  life,  but  with  singular  clearness  his  vis- 
ion took  within  its  scope  the  things  which  were  to  come. 
He  forbade  slavery  and  prohibited  rum,  industries  which 
found  lodgement  only  after  his  departure.  The  very  plan 
upon  which  Savannah  progresses  was  formulated  by  him. 
The  instructed  Georgian  cannot  look  in  any  direction  here 
without  being  reminded  of  the  great  man  who  was  responsi- 
ble for  the  existence  of  Georgia.  The  fate  of  the  colony 
was  in  the  keeping  of  this  one  man.  Had  he  faltered ;  had 
his  resources  of  mind  and  soul  even  so  much  as  checked 
their  out-pour  at  any  given  time,  the  experiment  had  fail- 
ed. He  had  already  accomplished  a  great  work.  The  col- 
ony of  Georgia  had  been  fixed  on  safe  lines,  and  altruism 
had  been  rewritten  upon  the  souls  of  men.  A  great  man 
and  a  great  work  had  come  together,  and  the  vitality  of  a 
great  nature  had  been  breathed  into  the  work. 

"But  the  colonization  of  Georgia  even  upon  such  lofty 
ideals  was  the  accomplishment  of  only  a  part  of  that  which 
Oglethorpe  had  in  mind.  As  you  face  his  statue,  with  the 
naked  sword  in  hand  and  its  defiant  and  fighting  look  to- 
ward the  south,  another  Oglethorpe  confronts  you.  The 
statesman  has  stripped  away  his  robes,  and  the  lieutenant 


To  General  James  Edward  Ogleikorpc.  ^5 


of  Marlborough  and  Eugene,  with  the  problem  of  centuries 
before  him,  awaits  the  moment  when  along  the  narrow 
edge  of  the  gleaming  blade  in  his  hand  shall  flash  the  sig- 
nal of  battle,  and  the  old  quarrel  between  England  and 
Spain  find  its  solution. 

"From  the  settlement  on  February  12,  1733,  the  colony 
had  progressed  without  special  incident  for  a  year.  In 
the  summer  of  that-  year  Oglethorpe  had  returned  to  Eng- 
land, accompanied  by  Tomochichi ;  and  on  March  10,  1734, 
the  Purisburg,  with  the  Salsburgers,  arrived — the  High- 
landers sailed  on  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Oct.  20,  1735.  The 
London  Merchant  and  the  Symond  left  England  with  the 
Frederica  colonists  on  Dec.  21,  1735.  Having  returned 
to  the  colony  toward  the  close  of  1736,  Oglethorpe  again 
sailed  for  England  to  urge  the  departure  of  the  military 
contingent.  A  portion  of  the  troops  sailed  on  May  7,  1738, 
and  the  remainder,  with  Oglethorpe  as  general,  arrived  off 
Jekyl  bar  on  Sept.  18,  1738. 

"During  the  intervals,  Oglethorpe,  with  the  assistance 
of  Tomochichi,  made  frequent  demonstrations  along 
the  Spanish  frontier.  Hostilities  began  on  November 
15,  1739,  with  the  slaying  of  two  Highlanders  by  the 
Spaniards,  on  Amelia  Island.  Oglethorpe  at  once  gave 
pursuit,  pushing  on  to  the  St.  John's  river,  and  burning 
three  outposts.  Marching  in  the  direction  of  St.  Augus- 
tine he  attacked  and  defeated  a  detachment  of  the  enemy, 
and  attempted  unsuccessfully  to  take  Forts  St.  Francis 
and  Picolata.  Returning  on  Jan  1,  1740,  he  burnt  the  latter 
and  reduced  the  former.  It  never  occurred  to  Oglethorpe 
to  stay  whipped.  Driven  off  today,  he  was  back  on  the 
morrow — a  practice  which  the  Spanish  governor  took 
much  to  heart  as  unreasonable,  with  a  touch  of  discourtesy 
to  a  successful  antagonist. 

"In  May,  1740,  with  an  army  two  thousand  strong,  con- 
sisting of  regulars,  militia  and  Indians,  with  co-operative 
fleet  under  Admiral  Vernon,  he  moved  on  to  St.  Augustine; 
captured  Fort  Moosa,  and  signaling  the  lleet  to  action,  pre- 
pared to  deliver  the  assault  on  the  fortifications  of  the  Florida 
strongliold.  The  fleet  failed  to  respond  and  departed,  and 
the  unsupported  attack  from  the  land  becoming  thus  im- 
practicable, a  siege  of  three  weeks  followed,  which  Ogle- 
thorpe was  finally  compelled  to  abandon.  To  his  repeated 
and  urgent  requests  for  reinforcements  the  home  go\ern- 
nient  made  no  response,  and  he  had  been  practically  aban- 
<!oned  to  his  fate  when,  in  the  summer  of  1741,  the  long 


S6       A  Histoty  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

gathering  storm  burst  in  all  its  fury  A  Spanish  fleet  of 
fifty-one  sails  had  appeared  in  June  of  that  year.  Its  ves- 
sels, in  one  way  and  another,  were  so  badly  used  by  Ogle- 
thorpe in  detail  that  it  finally  disappeared,  to  be  replaced 
on  June  28  by  the  St.  Augustine  fleet  of  thirty-eight  sails, 
Oglethorpe  retarded  its  movements  until  July  5,  when,  after 
a  hot  engagement,  lasting  four  hours,  it  passed  the  batter- 
ies and  got  out  of  range  toward  Frederica,  upon  which  place 
Oglethorpe  fell  back — the  enemy  landing  on  the  south  end 
of  St.  Simon's.  On  July  7,  1742,  the  Spaniards  moved  on 
Frederica  and  Oglethorpe  advanced  to  meet  them,  and  the 
decisive  battle  of  Bloody  Marsh  was  on.  When  the  smoke 
cleared  away  Georgia  was  free.  The  battle  had  not  been  to 
the  strong.  The  comment  of  Oglethorpe  was  as  charac- 
istic  as  it  was  modest.  'The  Spanish  invasion  which  had  a 
long  time  threatened  the  colony,  Carolina  and  all  North 
America,  has  at  last  fallen  upon  us,  and  God  hath  been  our 
deliverance.'  And  George  Whitfield  said  of  it,  'the  deliver- 
ance of  Georgia  from  the  Spaniards  is  such  as  cannot  be  par- 
alleled but  by  some  instances  out  of  the  Old  Testament.' 

"His  work  accomplished;  his  mission  fulfilled,  on  July 
23,  1743,  he  sailed  for  England,  never  to  see  again  the  land 
to  which  he  had  devoted  the  best  years  of  his  life.  He  was 
too  great  to  escape  the  calumnies  of  the  small  and  the  in- 
gratitude of  the  narrow.  Having  passed  to  payment  the 
expenditures  made  by  him  out  of  his  personal  fortune,  the 
English  government  revoked  its  action  and  appropriated 
his  money.  Having  availed  themselves  of  his  military  tal- 
ents, the  advisers  of  royalty  court-martialed  him  on  grounds 
which  were  dismissed  as  slanderous.  Finally,  he  withdrew 
from  the  service  of  an  ungrateful  monarch  and  entered  upon 
the  last  stage  of  the  journey  of  life  which  was  to  end  on  July 
1,  1785-  King  and  courtier  might  see  in  him  only  a  success- 
ful rival  for  the  fame  which  it  was  not  given  them  to  attain, 
but  with  the  great  spirit  of  his  time  he  became  a  welcome 
guest.  Authors  laid  their  tributes  at  his  feet  and  poets 
bound  about  his  brows  the  laurel  wreaths  of  victory.  Geor- 
gia and  her  fate  never  passed  from  his  thought.  Tradition 
has  it  that  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution  he  was  tendered 
the  command  of  the  English  forces,  and  refused  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  colony  he  had  founded.  Whether  it  be 
true  or  no,  never  in  thought  or  word  that  history  records 
was  he  ever  disloyal  to  the  colony  to  which  he  had  devoted 
the  best  vcars  of  his  life. 


IZth  U.  S.  Infantry. 


A  Battalion  of  2d  Infantry. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  $j 

"He  had  striven  with  success  for  the  betterment  of  the 
weak  and  helpless  in  an  age  of  abject  selfishness.     He  had 
made  an  empire  with  a  handful  of  the  oppressed  of  earth, 
,  and  the  work  had  survived.     He  had  overcome  the  Indian 
I  by  persuasion  and  kindness  and  won  the  abiding  friendship 
I  of  the  savages  he  had  been  sent  to  slay.     He  had  encounter- 
'  ed  the  most  powerful  foe  of  England  and  driven  him  in  dis- 
astrous defeat  before  his  scant  battle-line.     Reversing  all 
:   the  traditions  of  colonial  administration,  he  had  been  toler- 
ant and  just.     He  was  a  builder  and  not  an  iconoclast;  a 
statesman  and  not  a  schemer;  a  soldier  and  not  a  plunderer. 
"Brave  and  wise  and  merciful,  the  ends  he  accomplished 
placed  him  in  historic  perspective  a  century  ahead  of  the 
day  in  which  he  worked.     Honest  in  an  era  of  guile,  without 
I  fear  and  without  reproach,  he  comes  to  us  with  his  unstained 
record,  to  live  so  long  as  Georgians  shall  stand  upon  the 
ancient  ways  and  see  and  approve  the  better  things  of  life. 
In  all  his  brilliant  career — in  the  hour  of  stress,  in  the  mo- 
ment of  victory — no  clamorous  sound  of  vain  and  self-ap- 
plauding words  came  from  his  lips     There  was  no  need. 
That  which  he  did  sends  its  paeans  down  the  centuries ;  and 
over  his  illustrious  career  Georgia  stands  guard  forever" 

THE  UNVEILING.  •    ! 

At  the  conclusion  of  Judge  Charlton's  address  Mr.  J.  Ran- 
dolph Anderson,  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission,  and  Mr. 
Daniel  Chester  French,  the  sculptor,  escorted  to  the  base  of 
the  monument  His  Excellency,  Joseph  M.  Brown,  Governor 
of  Georgia,  and  Mrs.  J.  J.  Wilder,  president  of  the  Society 
of  Colonial  Dames  of  America,  and  placing  into  their  hands 
the  cords  that  held  the  two  flags  together,  gave  the  signal 
for  the  unveiling,  and  in  a  moment  the  heroic  figure  of  Ogle- 
thorpe stood  revealed  in  the  midst  of  the  applauding  multi- 
tude. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MONUMENT. 

The  statue  itself  is  of  bronze  nine  feet  in  height  facing 
t  south,  and  represents  Oglethorpe  in  the  full  dress  of  a  Brit- 
ish general  of  the  period  of  1730.  It  rests  upon  a  pedestal  of 
I  pink-gray  marble  in  Italian  renaissance  design.  This  die 
1  rests  upon  a  wide  platform  ornamented  with  garlands  and 
'  tabled  on  the  sides,  with  a  lion  rampant  on  each  corner,  car- 
rying a  shield.     Upon  the  shields  are  carved  the  seals  of 


j<f       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

the  colony  of  Georgia,  the  state  of  Georgia,  the  city  of  Sav- 
annah, and  the  coat-of-arms  of  Oglethorpe.  On  the  east  and 
west  sides  of  the  monument  is  a  marble  seat,  and  on  the 
north  and  south  ends  of  the  quadrangle  is  an  exhedra  in 
limestone  inclosing  a  grass  plot. 

On  the  south  face  of  the  pedestal  is  carved  in  colonial 
style  the  following  inscription : 

Erected  by 
The  State  of  Georgia 
The  City  of  Savannah, 

And  the  Patriotic 
Societies  of  the  State 
To  the  Memory  of 
The  Great  Soldier 
Eminent  Statesman,  and 
Famous  Philanthropist, 
General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe  who  in 
This  City  on  the  12th 
Day  of  February 
A.  D-  1733  Founded  and 
Established  the 
Colony  of  Georgia. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  unveiling  and  dedicatory  exer- 
cises at  the  monument  the  several  military  companies  which 
had  been  grouped  in  the  square  moved  off  in  order  to  the 
strains  of  martial  music  to  the  Park  Extension,  where  a 
parade  and  grand  review  of  the  troops  were  made  in  the 
presence  of  the  distinguished  guests  and  in  view  of  thous- 
ands of  citizens  who  surrounded  the  Park  on  all  sides. 

The  program  as  planned  was  fully  carried  out,  and 
the  occasion  was  made  one  worthy  of  the  memory  of  Geor- 
gia's heroic  founder. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  DANIEL  CHESTER 
FRENCH. 

Daniel  Chester  French,  the  sculptor  whose  genius  and 
artistic  skill  created  the  bronze  statue  of  Oglethorpe,  was 
born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  April  20,  1850.  His  pa- 
rents were  substantial  New  Englanders,  and  were  connect- 
ed with  the  families  of  Daniel  Webster  and  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier.     He  received  his  education  at  Exeter,  N.  H.,  the 


DANIEL  CHESTER    FRENCH. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  39 

Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  and  Dartmouth 
College.  He  studied  sculpture  in  Boston  and  in  Florence, 
Italy,  and  in  1876-78  he  had  a  studio  in  Washington.  From 
1878  to  1887  he  was  located  in  Boston  and  Concord,  Mass. 
and  since  that  time  he  has  had  his  studio  in  New  York. 
Mr.  French  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  sculptors 
of  America.  Among  his  best  known  works  are  ''The  Min- 
ute Man  of  Concord,"  a  statue  of  General  Cass  in  the  Capi- 
tol at  Washington,  a  statue  of  Rufus  Choate  in  Boston, 
John  Harvard  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Thomas  Starr  King 
in  San  Francisco,  the  colossal  "Statue  of  the  Republic"  at 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  "Dr.  Gallaudet  and  his 
Deaf  Mute  Pupil,"  at  Washington,  the  Milmore  Memo- 
rial (3d  class  medal  at  Paris  Salon,  1892),  bronze  doors  to 
Boston  Public  Library,  Statue  of  Alma  Mater  at  Columbia 
College,  groups  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America  in  front 
of  the  New  York  Custom  House,  Statue  of  Samuel  Spencer 
in  Atlanta,  etc. 

In  1900  he  was  awarded  a  medal  of  honor  at  the  Paris 
Exposition,  and  in  1902  he  became  a  member  of  the  Nat- 
ional Academy.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art  in  New  York,  and  a  member  of  the 
National  Sculpture  Society,  the  Architectural  League,  and 
Academia  di  S.  Luca,  Rome,  Italy. 

In  1888  Mr.  French  married  Miss  Mary  Adams  French 
of  Washington,  and  at  present  lives  at  125  West  11th 
street,  New  York  City. 

The  statue  to  Oglethorpe  is  his  last  work,  and  in  its  spir- 
ited conception  and  artistic  execution  it  is  worthy  alike  of 
the  distinguished  sculptor  and  of  Georgia's  heroic  founder. 


40       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

FINANCIAL  STATEMENT 

Oglethorpe  Monument  Commission. 

RECEIPTS. 

(1)  Appropriation  by  State  of  Georgia $15,000.00 

(2)  "  "   City  of  Savannah* 12,000.00 

(3)  Funds  raise  i  by  Oglethorpe  Monument  Ass'n  : 

From  Georgia  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  of 

America %    58984 

From  Daughters  of  American  Revolution 1,176.26 

"      Georgia  Society  Sons  of  the  Revolution     503.75 

Proceeds  of  Hall  given  Dec.  loth,  1903 779-75 

Contributed  by  Oglethorpe  Club 500.00 

"  "    W.  J.   DeRenne,  Esq 500.00 

Sundry  Contributions 75-43 

Interest  on  deposits  to  Nov.  19th,  1910 1,062.37 

15,187.40 
Less  sundry  disbursements 40.47 

Total  turned  over  to  the  Oglethorpe  Monu- 
ment Commission 5»i46-93 

(4)  Funds  raised  by  Georgia  Society  Colonial  Dames 

(additional) 

Contributed  by  S.  P.  Shotter,  Esq 1,000.00 

"  "    Jasper  Monument  Asso'n 772.10 

Other   amounts   raised   or   appropriated,  in- 
cluding interest  on  deposits  to  Dec.  s,  1910  1,701  58         3,473.68 

(5 )  Contributions  made  direct  to  Oglethorpe  Mon- 

ument Commission: 

Georgia  Historical  Society 500.00 

Joseph  Hull,  Esq 500.00 

J.  Florance  Minis,  Esq 100.00 

Mrs.  L.  F.  Minis 100.00 

J.  Randolph  Anderson,  Esq 100.00         1,300.00 

(6)  Interest  on  deposits 801.74 

Total  receipts  by  Commission 137,722.35 

DISBURSEMENTS. 
Paid  for  removing  busts  of  Bartow  and  McLaws 

from  Chippewa  Square  to  Park  Extention |      278.00 

Paid  for  planting  trees,  and  sundry  incidentals 88.38 

P«ud  for  account  monument  and  surroundings 37,355-97 

$37,722.35     $37,722.35 

•The  total  appropriation  made  by  the  City  of  Savannah  was  $15,000  of  which, 
under  the  terms  nf  the  resolution  of  Council,  the  sum  of  $12,000  was  to  be  applied 
on  the  cost  of  the  monument  and  $3j^oo  was  to  be  applied  towards  the  expenses  at- 
tending the  unveiling  ceremonies.  The  moneys  received  from  the  city  were  applied 
and  used  accordingly. 

J.   RANDOLPH  ANDERSON, 

Chairman  Oglethorpe  Monument  Commission 


17th  U.  S.  Infantry. 


Battalion  5th  Infantry,  Ga.  State  Troops. 


J 


To  General  James  Edwatd  Oglethorpe.  41 


THE  NAME  AND  THE  DATE  OF  BIRTH  OF  OGLE- 
THORPE. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  there  has  existed  for  many 
years  much  uncertainty  concerning  the  full  and  correct 
name  of  Oglethorpe,  and  the  exact  date  of  his  birth.  The 
biographers  of  this  distinguished  man  differ  greatly  upon 
both  these  points.  Jones  and  Harris  give  June  1,  1689, 
Tlie  Britannica  (ninth  edition)  and  the  Dictionary  of  Nat- 
ional Biography  give  December  22,  1696,  and  McCall  places 
the  date  at  December  21,  1698.  In  all  the  letters  and  writ- 
ten documents  of  Oglethorpe  extant  he  signed  his  name 
simply  James  Oglethorpe,  though  some  of  his  biographers 
give  it  as  James  Edward  Oglethorpe. 

In  the  Biographical  Memorials  of  Oglethorpe  by  Harris, 
pages  325  and  following,  the  matter  of  his  birth  is  discuss- 
ed at  some  length,  and  in  the  Magazine  of  American  His- 
tory of  1883,  Vol.  VIII,  part  II,  page  108,  there  occurs  an 
interesting  article  on  the  subject  by  W.  S.  Bogart  of  Sav- 
annah. These  discussions  are  based  upon  certain  records 
copied  from  the  Register  of  Births  and  Baptisms  in  the 
Church  of  St.  James,  Westminster,  England,  and  from  the 
Register  of  Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford.  The  record 
from  the  Register  Book  of  Births  and  Baptisms  belonging 
to  the  Parish  of  St.  James,  Westminster,  is  given  by  Harris 
as  follows : 

Bapt.     I  June  1689. 

2         1     James  Oglethorpe  of  Sir  Theophilus  and 
I  his  lady  Elinor,  b.  1. 

The  interpretation  of  this  is  that  James  Oglethorpe,  son 
of  Sir  Theophilus  and  his  lady  Elinor,  was  born  June  1, 
1689,  and  baptised  June  2. 

The  record  of  the  entry  of  James  Oglethorpe  into  Corpus 
Christi  College,  Oxford,  is  thus  given  by  Harris : 

"1704,  Jul.  9,  term.  S.  Trin.  Jacobus  Oglethorpe,  e  C.  C. 
C.  16.  Theoph.  f.  Sti.  Jacobi.  Lond.  Equ.  Aur.  filius  natu 
minor." 

That  is,  In  Trinity  Term,  July  9,  1704,  James  Oglethorpe, 
aged  16,  youngest  son  of  Sir  Theophilus  Oglethorpe,  of  St. 
James's,  London,  was  admitted  into  Corpus  Christi  Col- 
lege. 

These  statements  do  not  harmonize  with  each  other,  or 
with  several  facts  in  the  later  history  of  Oglethorpe,  and 


^       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument . 


the  matter  of  his  name  and  the  exact  date  of  his  birth  have 
remained  for  many  years  in  much  doubt. 

When  the  monument  to  the  memory  of  this  distinguished 
man  was  erected  in  Savannah  in  1910,  the  question  was 
again  brought  up  and  earnestly  discussed-  In  order  to 
determine  it  fully  and  with  accuracy  if  possible,  two  inde- 
pendent investigations  were  made, — one  by  W.  J.  DeRenne, 
Esq.,  for  the  Monument  Commission,  and  the  other  by  Otis 
Ashmore  in  behalf  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society.  The 
results  of  both  these  investigations  agree,  and  the  matter 
so  long  in  doubt  is  now  definitely  and  authentically  cleared 
up  and  established,  and  the  evidences  given  herewith.  The 
following  photographic  copy  of  a  certificate  obtained  bj 
Mr.  DeRenne  from  St.  Martin-in-the-Fields  is  self-explana- 
tory. 


ST.  MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS,  LONDON 


Fol.  /2.  c?' 


?■■■■ 


BAPTIZED  in 


I     /^^ee^^t.oi^^     /(o^(o  . 


^^svt^t-^TT"?^ 


e3, 


^"^U^.^^         Ay  ^-C- 


'^^o  ■     JZ'X-^ 


The  above  is  a  true  exthact  from  the  Registek  Book  of  BAPTisMS 
belonging  to  this  Church. 


Witness  my  hand,  this  /  a^ 


44       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 


From  this  it  is  clear  that  Oglethorpe's  name  was  James 
Edward,  and  that  he  was  born  December  22,  1696. 

Without  knowing  of  Mr.  DeRenne's  efforts,  Otis  Ash- 
more,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Georgia  Historical- 
Society,  took  the  matter  up  with  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Lon- 
don with  a  view  of  obtaining  a  correct  copy  of  the  record 
of  the  births  and  baptisms  of  all  the  children  of  Sir  Theophi- 
lus  Oglethorpe,  and  with  the  Dean  of  Corpus  Christi  Col- 
lege, Oxford,  to  verify  the  date  of  Oglethorpe's  entrance 
into  that  institution.     This  correspondence  follows : 

Savannah,  Ga ,  Dec.  8,  1910. 
To  His  Lordship, 

The  Bishop  of  London, 

London,  England. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  state  of  Georgia,  U.  S.  A.,  has  just  erected  at  Savan- 
nah a  monument  to  the  memory  of  General  James  Edward 
Oglethorpe,  the  founder  of  this  colony  in  1733,  and  the  date 
of  his  birth  has  become  a  matter  of  inquiry  with  us.  There 
seems  to  be  much  uncertainty  concerning  the  exact  date, 
and  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  it  definitely  that  I 
am  writing  you  to  assist  us.  You  can  probably  refer  this 
letter  to  some  one  in  official  position  to  give  us  this  infor- 
mation, and  by  so  doing  you  will  confer  a  great  favor  upon 
our  Society. 

The  biographical  sketches  of  Oglethorpe  give  various 
dates  of  his  birth.  Some  give  June  1,  1689 ;  some  give  Dec- 
ember 21,  1688 ;  some  December  22,  1688 ;  and  others  give 
December  22,  1696.  The  following  extract  from  the  Dic- 
tionary of  National  Biography  is  our  latest  authority  on 
the  matter  of  his  birth. 

"OGLETHORPE,  JAMES  EDWARD  (1696-1785),  gen- 
eral, philanthropist,  and  colonist  of  Georgia,  born  in  Lon- 
don on  December  22,  1696,  was  baptised  next  da}""  at  St. 
Martin's  in  the  Fields.  An  elder  brother,  also  named 
James,  born  on  1  June,  1689,  died  in  infancy  (Notes  and 
Queries,  3d  Sec.  XH,  68).  He  matriculated  at  Corpus 
Christi  College,  Oxford,  on  8  July,  1714,  but  had  already 
obtained  a  commission  in  the  British  army  in  1710." 

These  statements,  however,  do  not  all  harmonize  with, 
some  other  facts  of  his  subsequent  life,  and  I  would  like  to 
secure  an  exact  copy  of  the  record  of  his  baptism  at  St.  Mar- 
tin's in  the  Field. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  45 

This  record  is  said  to  read  as  follows : 

Bap.     I  June,  1689 

2       j     James  Oglethorpe  of  Sir  Theophilus  and 
I     his  lady  Elinor,  b.  1. 

We  would  be  glad  to  have  this  record  verified  and  inter- 
preted by  those  familiar  with  these  records.  Does  it  mean 
that  James  Oglethorpe  was  baptised  on  June  2,  1689,  and 
that  he  was  born  on  June  1,  1689? 

It  is  claimed  that  record  refers  to  an  elder  brother  al- 
so named  James  who  died  in  infancy.  If  so  the  baptismal 
record  of  James  Edward  will  probably  be  found  under  the 
date  December  22,  1696.  Our  Oglethorpe  always  signed  his 
name  simply  James,  though  there  is  good  reason  to  believe 
that  his  middle  name  was  Edward.  Can  you  throw  any 
light  upon  this  point?  What  authority  is  there  for  the  state- 
ment that  he  was  born  in  London  rather  than  at  Westbrook 
at  Godalming,  Surrey? 

From  Nichols's  Literary  Anecdotes  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  Vol.  II,  p.  16,  we  are  told  that  Sir  Theophilus  Ogle- 
thorpe had  the  following  children  : 

I.— Lewis,  born  1680-81.     (Feb) 

II.— Theophilus,  born  1682. 
III. — Eleanora,  born  1684. 
IV. — Anne 

v.— Sutton,  born  1686. 
VI. — Henrietta 


VII. — James,  born  June  1, 1869. 
VIII. — Frances-Charlotte. 
XL— Mary 

Is  it  practical  to  obtain  from  the  church  records  the  date  of 
birth,  or  at  least  the  date  of  baptism,  of  these  children? 

At  what  age  was  it  customary  at  that  time  to  baptise 
children?  Was  James,  referred  to  in  this  record,  baptised 
when  he  was  only  one  day  old? 

The  Georgia  Historical  Society  will  be  greatly  obliged  to 
you  if  you  will  give  such  direction  to  this  letter  as  to  secure 
for  us  the  offtcial  and  reliable  information  which  we  seek. 

Very  respectfully, 

OTIS  ASHMORE, 

Corresponding  Secretary  Ga.  Hist  Soc. 


46        A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

Savannah,  Ga.,  U.  S.  A. 
Jan.  10,  1911, 

St.  Martin's  Vicarage, 
Charing  Cross,  W.  C. 
Dear  Sir : 

In  re  James  Edward  Oglethorpe. 
I  received  a  few  weeks  ago  your  letter  to  the  Lord  Bishop 
of  London,  asking  for  information  in  detail  about  this  family. 
My  parish  clerk  has  examined  our  registers  with  great  care, 
and  I  send  you  the  results  of  his  search.  You  will  see  that 
he  has  examined  the  books  at  St.  James,  Piccadilly,  as  well 
as  St.  Martin-in-the-Fields-  These  are  the  results  which  I 
have  now  the  pleasure  of  forwarding  you.  He  can  find 
nothing  more. 

May  I  be  allowed  to  say  that  as  he  is  a  poor  man  and  has 
taken  great  trouble  over  the  matter,  you  may  be  disposed  to 
make  some  acknowledgement  to  him  in  the  form  of  a  fee, 
but  we  make  no  charage. 
I  am 

Yours  faithfully, 

L.  E.  SHELFORD. 

Vicar  of  St.  Martin-in-the-Fields. 
St.  Martin-in-the-Fields  Parish  Church. 

Charing  Cross,  Jany.  6,  1911. 


Dear  Sir : 


IN  RE  OGLETHORPE. 


Your  letter  of  December  8th  last  to  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
London  has  been  handed  to  me  for  attention,  and  in  reply 
thereto  I  beg  to  give  you  the  result  of  my  search  through 
our  registers,  which  have  extended  some  years  after  1700  an 
and  before  1681. 

JAMES  EDWARD  was  undoubtedly  baptised  here  on 
December  23,  1696,  having  been  born  on  the  22nd  presuma- 
bly in  London ;  as  in  those  days  it  would  scarcely  be  possible 
and  highly  improbable  to  bring  a  child  from  Godalming  to 
be  christened  at  Charing  Cross  the  day  after  its  birth. 

Your  second  query  is  as  to  JAMES.  He  was  born  1st 
June,  1689  and  was  baptised  on  the  2nd  of  that  month  at 
St.  James's  Church.  Piccadilly,  a  parish  adjoining  this,  but 
he  died  in  infancy ;  being  buried  at  St.  lames's  on  the  15th 
June,  1690. 

The  reply  to  your  next  inquiry,  "the  age  at  which  it  was 
customary  to  baptise  children  at  that  time",  is,  within  a  few 


To  Genet  al  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  47 

days  of  birth.  Appended  is  a  list  of  those  I  have  been  able 
to  find,  and  I  would  suggest  that  those  I  have  not  been  able 
to  find  may  have  been  born  and  christened  at  Godalming. 
in  Surrey,  as  your  letter  infers  they  lived  there. 

ELEANORA,  ANNE,  SUTTON,  HENRIETTA,  and 
MARY  I  cannot  trace,  but  I  do  find  CHARLES  and  AN 
HARATH,  which  you  do  not  give  in  your  list. 

Born  21st,  Baptised  23rd  February,  1681. 

LEWIS  OGLETHORP  of  Theophilus  &  Elin. 

Baptised  20th  February,  1682     (Date  of  birth  not  given.) 

AN  HARATH  OGLETHORP  of  Theophilus  &  Elinor. 

Born  9th,  Baptised  11th  March,  1684. 

THEOPHILUS  OGLETHORPE  of  Theophilus  &  Elli- 
ner. 

Baptised  22nd  May,  1686.     (Date  of  birth  not  given) 

CHARLES  OGLETHORP  of  Sr.  Theophylus  &  Lady 
Elinor. 

This  at  St.  James's  Church,  Piccadilly. 

Born  1st,  Baptised  2nd  June,  1689. 

JAMES  OGLETHORP  of  Sr.  Theophilus  and  his  Lady 
Elinor. 

This  at  St.  James's  Church,  Piccadilly, 

Buried  at  St.  James's,  Picadilly,  15th  June,  1690. 

JAMES  OGLETHORP.     C.     (This  means  child) 

Born  7th,  Baptised  7th  September,  1692. 

CHARLOTTE-FRANCES  OGLETHORP  of  Sr.  Theo- 
philus &  Eleanora. 

Born  22nd,  Baptised  23rd  December,  1696. 

JAMES  EDWARD  OGLETHORP  of  Coll.  Theophilus 
&  Eleanora.  (Coll.  means  Colonel.) 

Should  you  desire  stamped  certificated  copies  of  these 
entries  I  can  send  them  upon  hearing  from  you,  and  I  may 
say  in  conclusion  the  parents  of  these  children  were  not  mar- 
ried in  this  church. 

Savannah,  Ga.,  Dec.  8,  1910 

To  the  Dean  of  Corpus  Christi  College, 
University  of  Oxford, 

Oxford,  England. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  state  of  Georgia,  U.  S.  A.,  has  just  erected  at  Sav- 
annah a  monument  to  the  memory  of  General  James  Ed- 
ward Oglethorpe,  the  founder  of  this  colony  in  1733,  and  the 
date  of  his  birth  has  become  a  matter  of  inquirv  with  us. 


48        A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

There  seems  to  be  much  uncertainty  concerning  the  exact 
date,  and  the  date  of  his  admission  into  Corpus  Christi  Col- 
lege will  aid  us  in  determining  the  question.  From  one  of 
his  biographies  the  following  copy  of  the  University  Register 
is  taken. 

"1704,  Jul.  9,  term.  S.  Trin.  Jacobus  Oglethorpe,  e  C.  C.  C. 
16.  Theoph.  f.  Sta.  Jacobi.  Lond.  Equ.  Aur.  filius  natu  mi- 
nor." 

Will  you  do  the  Georgia  Historical  Society  the  courtesy 
to  compare  this  copy  carefully  with  the  record  of  original 
entry  on  the  University  Register,  and  tell  us  if  it  is  correct? 
If  it  is  not,  will  you  please  send  me  an  exact  copy  of  the  re- 
cord, together  with  a  translation  of  it  in  accordance  with  the 
usual  meaning  and  understanding  of  such  entries?  The 
figures  "1704"  are  especially  to  be  examined  with  care,  for 
it  has  been  claimed  that  this  date  should  be  1714.  Are  the 
figures  clear  in  the  record?  Is  it  your  understanding  that 
the  figures  "16"  signify  that  he  was  sixteen  years  old  when 
he  entered? 

Will  you  also  please  verify  the  date  of  admission  of  Lewis 
Oglethorpe  into  Corpus  Christi  College?  This  is  given  as 
March  16,  1698-9. 

The  Georgia  Historical  Society  will  greatly  appreciate 
any  courtesy  you  may  show  it  in  ascertaining  definitely 
these  facts  and  writing  me  at  your  earliest  convenience. 

Very  respectfully, 

OTIS  ASHMORE, 

Corresponding  Secretary  Ga.  Hist.  Soc. 
Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford, 

December  23,  1910 

To  the  Secretary  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society: 

Dear  Sir: 

In  respect  to  the  date  of  the  admission  of  James  Edward 
Oglethorpe  to  the  University,  I  have  relied  on  the  help  of 
Mr.  R.  Lane  Poole,  keeper  of  the  archives  of  the  University, 
as  I  was  myself  leaving  Oxford  at  the  time  of  receiving  your 
letter.  Tlie  information  which  he  has  kindly  sent  to  me  is 
as  follows : 

In  the  Register  of  Matriculations  (reference  letters  in  the 
Universitv  Archives  A  I).  "Tulv  9  1714  term.  S.  Trin.  Ja- 
cobus Oglethorpe  E  C.  C.  C.  16  Theoph.  f.  Sti.  Jacobi  Lond. 
Eq.  filiu  natu  minor."     (Archives  ref:  A  F.) 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  49 

In  the  Autograph  Subscription  Book  Oglethorpe  signs 
himself  under  the  same  date,  July  9,  1714.  "James  Ogle- 
thorpe e  C.  C.  C.  Eq :  Aur.  filius  natu  minor."  (Archives 
ref:  A  F.) 

Mr.  R.  Lane  Poole  adds  that  the  16  following  C.  C.  C.  is 
undoubtedly  his  age,  since  it  is  the  regular  practice  to  write 
it  so.  There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  accuracy  of  ^he 
dates,  owing  to  the  double  entry  and  the  order  of  admis- 
sions. 

In  the  case  of  Lewis  Oglethorpe,  he  appears  in  the  Sub- 
scription Book  as,  "Lewis  Oglethorpe  e  C.  C.  C.  Eq :  filus 
natu  max."  In  the  Matriculations  Register,  March  16, 
]  698-9,  is  the  date  and  the  age  15  is  added  after  his  college. 
So  that  in  this  case  the  date  you  quote  is  quite  correct  ac- 
cording to  the  University  Books.  Tlie  translation  would  be 
as  follows :  "July  9,  1714,  Trinity  Term,  James  Oglethorpe 
of  C.  C.  C.  (aged)  ]6,  younger  son  of  Theophilus  (Ogle- 
thorpe) Knight,  of  St.  James'  London." 

The  dates  are  confirmed  by  the  Buttery  Books  of  the  Col- 
lege. Ludov.  Oglethorpe  appears  in  1698.  Jac.  Ogle- 
thorpe in  1714.  The  latter  name  disappears  from  the  books 
on  May  3,  1717.  It  was  re-entered  on  June  25,  1719,  and  fi- 
nally disappeared  on  October  20,  1727. 

I  trust  that  this  information  will  make  it  quite  clear  to 
your  Society  that  the  date  of  admission  of  James  Oglethorpe 
was  the  later  date  of  those  you  suggest.  The  information 
as  to  the  Corpus  Buttery  Books  I  have  taken  from  the  His- 
tory of  the  College  by  the  late  president,  T.  Fowler,  publish- 
ed by  the  Oxford  Historical  Society.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is 
correct,  but  will  verify  the  references  on  my  return  to  Oxford 
and  advise  you  at  once  if  I  discover  any  error.  I  should 
post  this  information  at  least  by  the  20th  January. 

If  there  is  or  will  be  any  account  of  the  monument  in  the 
press  which  you  could  without  trouble  forward  to  me,  I 
should  be  very  much  obliged,  as  it  could  not  fail  to  interest 
the  College.  I  should  be  glad  to  get  it  reprinted  in  our  Col- 
lege Magazine. 

I  am 

Yours  faithfully, 

WILLIAM  PHELB, 

Dean  of  C.  C.  C 


so       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

From  these  investigations  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  Ogle- 
thorpe, the  founder  of  Georgia,  was  named  James  Edward, 
and  that  he  was  born  December  22,  1696. 

From  these  records  it  likewise  appears  that  there  was  art 
elder  brother,  named  also  James,  who  was  born  June  1, 
1689,  and  who  died  in  infancy  June  15,  1690.  This  fact  of 
an  elder  brother  James,  evidently  unknown  to  the  early 
biographers  of  Oglethorpe,  has  created  all  the  confusion. 
The  typographical  error  of  "1704"  for  1714  as  the  year  of 
his  entrance  into  Corpus  Christi  College  tended  to  increase 
this  confusion-  It  was  for  the  very  purpose  of  determining 
this  point  that  an  eflfort  was  made  to  obtain  the  record  of 
the  names  of  the  other  children  together  with  the  dates  of 
their  births  and  baptisms.  While  the  record  of  some  of 
these  seem  not  to  be  complete,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of 
the  correctness  of  the  record  of  James  Edward,  and  this 
is  the  only  matter  that  need  concern  us. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Oglethorpe  upon  entering  Corpus 
Christi  College  gave  his  age  at  16  years,  when  in  reality 
he  was  a  little  over  17  years. 

An  interesting  fact  revealed  by  the  Buttery  Books  of  the 
college  is  the  statement  that  Oglethorpe's  name  appears  on 
the  books  from  July  9,  1714  to  May  3,  1717,  then  disappears 
from  May  3,  1717  to  June  25,  1719,  when  it  was  re-entered 
and  continues  to  appear  till  October  20,  1727.  It  is  well 
known  that  Oglethorpe  left  Oxford  soon  after  he  entered 
to  join  the  army  of  Prince  Eugene  on  the  Continent,  and 
that  he  returned  to  England  in  1718.  But  as  he  was  elected 
to  Pa:rliament  from  Surrey  in  1722,  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand these  entries  on  the  Buttery  Books  of  the  college  from 
1719  to  1727.  Did  he  actually  return  to  Oxford  after  his 
military  experience  on  the  Continent  to  complete  his  course, 
or  was  his  name  thus  continued  on  the  books  for  some  tech- 
nical reason  without  his  actual  presence?  This  matter  is 
only  incidental  to  the  question  of  his  name  and  the  date  of 
his  birth,  but  it  is  an  interesting  one  nevertheless,  and  doubt- 
less it  can  be  explained  by  those  more  familiar  with  the 
early  forms  of  English  university  life. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  date  of  Oglethorpe's  birth 
as  here  given  is  expressed  in  the  old  style  of  reckoning  time, 
as  the  new  style  was  not  adopted  in  England  till  1752.  Ex- 
pressed in  new  style,  therefore,  Oglethorpe  was  born  Janu- 
ary 2,  1697. 

The  facts  herein  set  forth  and  the  evidence  upon  which 
they  are  based  are  thus  presented  in  full,  in  order  that  the 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  $1 

matter  so  long  in  doubt  may  be  definitely  and  finally  set  at 
rest. 

OTIS  ASHMORE, 
Corresponding  Secretary  Ga.  Hist.  Society. 


OFFICIAL   ORDER  OF   DISPOSITION  AND  MOVE- 
MENT OF   TROOPS  AND  SAILORS. 


HEADQUARTERS 

Troops  participating  in   the  unveiling  of 
The  Oglethorpe  Monument, 

Savannah,  Ga.,  Nov.  23rd,  1910. 

The  ceremonies  incident  to  the  unveiling  of  the  Oglethorpe 
Monument  will  be  held  in  Chippewa  Square,  the  site  of 
the  monument,  and  will  begin  at  11 :30  o'clock,  A.  M.,  Nov. 
23,  1910. 

The  following  instructions  governing  the  troops  partici- 
pating are  issued  for  the  information  and  guidance  of  all 
concerned : 

1.  The  Marshal's  Staff  will  consist  of: 

1st  Lieut.  E.  T.  Weisel,  Coast  Artillery  Corps,  Adjutant, 

Aids: 

Captain  H.  C.  Williams,  2nd  U.  S.  Field  Artillery, 

Captain  Wm.  R.  Dancy,  1st  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga. 

Captain  R.  H.  Mason,  2nd  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga. 
Chaplain  M.  G.  Doran,  U.  S.  Coast  Artillery  Corps, 

1st  Lieut  Garrard  Haines,  C.  A  C,  N.  G.  Ga. 
The  Aids  will  report  in  Dress  Uniform,  mounted,  to  the 
Marshal  at  the  Monument  at  11 :15  o'clock,  A.  M. 

2.  The  troops  will  be  posted  about  the  Monument  dur- 
ing the  ceremonies  as  follows : 

a.  2nd  and  3rd  Battalions  17th  U.  S.  Infantry. 

Provisional  Battalion  U.  S.  Coast  Artillery  Corps, 
U.  S.  Marines  and  U.  S.  Sailors  in  column  of  masses  in 
the  order  named  on  Perry  Street,  west  of  the  Monument, 
facing  east,  head  of  the  column  resting  on  Bull  Street. 

b.  2nd  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga.,  Cadet  Corps  University  of 
Georgia,  Barnesville  Cadets,  and  Benedictine  College  Ca- 
dets, in  column  of  masses  in  the  order  named,  on  McDon- 


^2       A  History  of  the  Erection  and  Dedication  of  the  Monument 

ough  Street,  west  of  the  Monument  facing    east,  head  of 
column  resting  on  line  of  curbing  west  of  Square. 

c.  1st  Infantry  N.  G.  Ga.,  1st  Battalion  5th  Infantry  N. 
G.  Ga.,  in  column  of  masses  in  the  order  named  on  Hull 
Street  west  of  the  Monument  facing  east,  head  of  col- 
umn resting  on  line  of  curbing  west  of  Square. 

d.  Battalion  Coast  Artillery  Corps  N.  G.  Ga.,  and  Na- 
val Reserves  in  line  in  the  order  named  on  Hull  Street 
facing  south,  left  resting  on  Bull  Street. 

e.  1st  Battery  Field  Artillery  N.  G.  Ga.  in  column  of 
sections  c>n  Hull  Street,  facing  west,  head  of  column  rest- 
ing on  Bull  Street. 

f.  1st  Squadron  11th  Cavalry,  Troop  A.  N.  G.  Ga.,  in 
column  of  platoons  in  the  order  named  on  Bull  Street,  north 
of  Monument,  head  of  column  resting  on  Hull  Street. 

3.  When  the  drapery  is  removed  from  the  Statue,  one 
long  blast  will  be  sounded  by  bugle  at  the  direction  of  the 
Marshal ;  each  organization  will  be  brought  to  "Present 
Arms,"  by  their  respective  Commanding  Officers ;  one  long 
blast  following  will  be  the  signal  for  resuming  "Order 
Arms." 

4.  The  various  organizations  will  be  in  their  places  as 
indicated  in  paragraph  2  hereof  by  11 :15  o'clock  A.  M. 

5.  Upon  completion  of  the  ceremonies  at  the  Monu- 
ment the  troops  will  form  column  of  squads  and  take  up  the 
march  south  on  Bull  Street,  in  the  following  order : 

2nd  and  3rd  Batt.  17th  Infantry, 
Batt.  U.  S.  Coast  Artillery  Corps. 
U.  S.  Marines, 
U.  S.  Sailors, 
2nd  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga. 
1st  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga. 
1st  Batt.  5th  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga. 
Batt.  Coast  Artillery  Corps,  N,  G.  Ga. 
Naval  Reserves, 

Cadet  Corps,  University  of  Georgia, 
Cadet  Corps,  Barnesville, 
Cadet  Corps,  Benedictine  College, 
1st  Battery  Field  Artillery  N-  G.  Ga. 
1st  Squadron,  11th  U.  S.  Cavalry, 
Troop  A.  N.  G.  Ga. 

The  column  will  turn  west  on  Gaston  Street  to  Barnard 
Street,  then  south  on  Barnard  Street. 


To  General  James  Edward  Oglethorpe.  53 

The  troops  will  then  be  formed  in  the  Park  Extension 
in  line  of  masses,  facing  east,  right  resting  on  Park  Avenue. 
In  forming,  organizations  will  turn  east  from  Barnard 
Street  on  the  streets  indicated  below  and  will  take  position 
in  the  Park  Extension  in  Column  of  Masses  at  points  which 
will  be  indicated  to  the  organization  Cornmanders  : 

1st  Battery  and  all  Cavalry  turn  east  on  Hall  Street,  Na- 
val Reserves  and  Cadet  Organizations  turn  east  on  Gwin- 
nett Street, 

1st  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga..  turn  east  on  Bolton  Street, 
2nd  Infantry,  N.  G.  Ga.,  turn  east  on  Waldburg  Street, 
17th  U.  S.  Infantry,  U.  S.  Coast  Artillery  Corps,  U.  S. 
Marines,  and  U.  S.  Sailors  turn  east  on  Park  Avenue. 

6,  The  troops  will  be  reviewed  by  the  Governors  of 
Georgia,  South  Carolina  and  Alabama,  who  will  be  in  au- 
tomobiles on  the  east  side  of  the  Park  Extension  at  the 
intersection  of  Bolton  and  Drayton  Streets,  at  which  point 
the  prescribed  salute  will  be  rendered. 

7.  After  passing  the  reviewing  officers  the  column  will 
continue  north  on  Drayton  Street  and  each  organization 
will  stand  dismissed  after  passing  Hall  Street.  No  or- 
ganization will  be  halted  until  it  has  cleared  the  column. 

JOHN  P.  WISSER, 
Colonel,  Coast  Artillery  Corps,  Marshal, 

Official :  EDWARD  T.  WEISEL, 

1st  Lieutenant,  C.  A.  C,  Adjutant. 

The  United  States  Regulars  were  encamped  at  Thirty- 
first  street  and  Waters  Road.  The  camp  was  named  by 
Col,  Wisser  Camp  Alexander  R.  Lawton,  in  honor  of  the 
late  Gen.  Alexander  R.  Lawton,  of  Savannah. 


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